THE 


REVELATION  OF  BAHA'-ULLAH' 

IN  A SEQUENCE  OF  FOUR  LESSONS. 


Compiled  by 

ISABELLA  D.  BRITTINGHAM, 

February,  1902. 


“The  teachings  are  simplicity  itself. 

(1)  To  believe  in  the  glad-tidings  of  the  coming  of  God. 

(2)  To  confess  His  Oneness  and  Singleness. 

(3)  To  be  naturalized  into  His  attributes. 

(4)  To  come  nearer  the  knowledge  of  God.  And  there  is  noth- 
ing to  man  but  to  attain  these  great  ends. 

ABDUL-BAHA’  ABBAS.” 


LESSON  1— THE  FORESHADOWING  OF  THE  COMING 
OF  THE  KINGDOM. 

In  the  present  day  there  is  comparatively  little  atheism.  While 
many  have  rejected  what  is  known  as  orthodox  belief,  yet,  in  this  age 
there  is  a recession  in  the  tide  of  infidelity.  Back  of  the  law  is  recog- 
nized its  Founder;  back  of  effect  is  a Cause;  back  of  life  the  Bestower 
of  life;  and,  to  an  extent  of  which  it  is  not  itself  cognizant,  the  world 
is  seeking  Light.  This  explains  the  existence  of  the  many  new  forms 
of  religious  thought  which  are  now  developing.  So  unmistakably  has 
the  Supreme  Pen  recorded  upon  all  things  visible  the  majestic  proofs 
of  the  Invisible,  that  this  planet  is  but  a type  of  greater  things,  much 
of  which,  owing  to  man’s  present  imperfection,  is  yet  in  cipher.  Four 
hundred  years  before  Christ,  Plato  said : “The  visible  things  are  but  a 
blotted  copy,  and  shadow  of  Eternal  Ideas.” 

Jesus  Christ  used  physical  illustrations  in  order  to  impart  the 
highest  knowledge  of  God.  Since  our  environment  is  material  in 
character,  every  Messenger  and  Prophet  from  God  has  made  use  of 
material  figures  in  order  to  convey  to  our  understanding  certain  spir- 
itual realities.  Thus  the  Appearance  of  the  Founder  of  each  Dispen- 
sation is  the  Sun  of  Truth,  newly  arising  upon  the  horizon  of  the 
darkened  spiritual  heavens,  and  bringing  forth  a New  Day  of  Light. 


When  this  Heavenly  Sun  fulfils  its  mission  it  disappears,  the  rays  of 
its  Divine  Knowledge  gradually  grow  dim  and  indistinguishable,  and 
when  Light  is  lost  darkness  dominates  all  things;  corruption  of  the 
Word  results;  and  in  its  path  follows  the  night  of  doubt,  when  dogma, 
creed  and  division  occupy  the  attention  and  the  contention  of  man- 
kind ; all  of  which  causes  many  to  lose  hope  and  to  ask  “What  is 
Truth?”  But  this  “divine  discontent”  is  the  preparation  in  those 
hearts  in  order  that  they  may  welcome  the  breaking  of  a New  Day, 
when  Light  shall  be  restored  in  greater  Beauty  than  ever  before. 

In  all  Creation  “Man  is  the  greatest  Kingdom.” 

The  soul  of  man  is  the  Seed  of  God,  because  it,  alone,  contains 
the  Essence  of  Immortality. 

The  beginning  (i.  e.,  seed  planting),  is  the  same  for  each  soul, 
but  this  world  spoils  that  soul.  Heredity  is  but  an  earthly  product. 

A perfected  man  is  five  fold.  Within  this  Kingdom  exist  the  ele- 
ments of  the  mineral,  vegetable,  animal,  intellectual  and  spiritual 
being. 

The  material  body  of  man  is  a vehicle  for  communication ; a 
thing  of  sensation  and  feeling;  a symbol  (in  its  construction)  of 
greater  things ; and,  above  all,  it  is  a temple.  Breath  animates  it  and 
sustains  its  physical  existence ; food  and  water  are  the  material  help- 
ers; the  body,  at  every  instant,  passing  through  the  cycle  of  loss  and 
renewal.  Circulating  through  it,  its  channels  weaving  like  a vine  with 
its  branches,  from,  and  returning  to,  that  wonderful  center,  the  heart, 
is  the  blood;  and  in  that  blood  exists  an  indescribable,  impalpable  sub- 
stance which  is  spiritual  in  its  characteristics.  Science  tells  us  that  it 
exists  only  in  the  living  blood,  but  not  in  the  blood  after  death. 

Deposited  within  this  temple  are  the  “Pearls  of  God’s  secrets,  and 
the  Gems  of  His  knowledge,”  and  the  “Crown  Jewel”  therein  is  the 
Essence  of  Light!  Heaven  and  earth  are  in  this  Kingdom. 

But  it  is  man  alone — the  only  portion  of  Creation  who  is  able  to 
understand  the  things  of  God — who  is  out  of  harmony.  And  because 
of  this  one,  dominant,  discordant  note  all  creation  is  jarred  upon  and 
travaileth  together.  The  dumb  animals  all  about  him  are,  in  many 
respects,  monumental  examples  to  him.  He  alone,  in  whom  dwells 
the  Essence  of  Immortality,  is  faithless  and  asleep  at  his  post.  Well 
might  he  pray  that  he  may  be  permitted  to  exist  throughout  the  duration 
of  God’s  Dominion,  and  not  become  as  the  beasts  which  perish ! Christ 
predicted  this  when  He  said : “When  the  Son  of  man  cometh,  will  he 
find  faith  on  the  earth?”  St.  Luke,  18:8. 

Man  alone  can  attain  the  sublime  heights  of  union  with  the  In- 
finite. 

When  the  soul  hungers  for  the  knowledge  of  its  God,  and  it 
drinks  from  the  unadulterated  “Cup  of  Immortality,”  that  crystal 
draught,  in  its  action  upon  that  soul,  resembles  ai  drop  of  elixir  upon 
a piece  of  copper,  which,  cleansing  from  all  impurity,  transmutes  it 
into  pure  gold.  Thus,  through  spiritual  evolution,  man  arises  from 
the  animal  station  (the  station  of  sensation,  which  is  our  Satan)  and 
attains  the  station  of  intellect ; then  dies  to  that  station  and  arises  in 
the  station  of  spirit.  It  has  been  said  that  “the  last  degree  of  reason 
is  the  first  degree  of  Love.” 


2 


When  the  Immortal  Seed  has  thus  gained  its  growth,  and  has 
been  “clothed  upon”  with  the  “New  Garments,”  it  stands  victorious  over 
spiritual  death,  and  discovers  its  inheritance  to  consist  of  the  “Holiest 
Fruits”  of  the  Kingdom  of  the  Father. 

This  is  the  Reality  of  the  New  Birth;  this  is  the  true  Resurrec- 
tion ; this  is  the  Redemption  of  the  Body ; this  is  Regeneration. 

The  Way  thither  is  only  through  Faith  and  Deeds.  Faith  must 
be  founded  upon  knowledge,  and  after  knowledge  arises  service.  Fasting 
is  one  of  the  deeds.  The  fast  of  the  soul  is  the  first  and  greater  one  to 
keep;  and  then  the  other  follows. 

Nineteen  hundred  years  ago  our  great  Master  Jesus  Christ  walked 
the  earth  in  the  station  of  perfect  Radiance.  He  found  only  a few 
illiterate  fishermen  who  were  able  to  comprehend  that  Radiance,  and 
to  them  He  taught  the  mysteries  of  the  Kingdom,  giving  them  to 
drink  of  the  pure  Wine  from  that  heavenly  Kingdom;  feeding  them 
with  the  very  Body  and  Blood  of  its  sacred  secrets;  that,  even  as  He 
was  its  Vine,  they  might  become  its  branches ; that  even  as  He  was 
the  Sun  of  the  New  Heavens  of  the  Christian  Dispensation,  they  might 
become  its  moon  and  stars ; and  then  He  passed  out  of  the  world,  leaving 
it  in  the  same  general  clouds  of  spiritual  darkness  as  prevailed  when  He 
came  into  it:  But  He  left  the  trust  of  His  holy  mission  and  teachings 

in  their  hands;  and  to-day  that  little  band  of  simple, unlearned  men  and 
women  shine  down  through  the  centuries  as  the  moon  and  stars.  Peter, 
the  rock,  was  the  moon  of  that  heaven,  for  he  established  the  church  of 
Christ. 

And  Christ  said  “I  will  come  again  in  the  clouds  (of  spiritual 
darkness)  as  I go.”  St.  Matt.,  26:29.  St.  John,  16,  verses  22  and  23. 
Acts,  1 :ii.  The  clouds  also  signify  the  veil  of  flesh  (the  body),  and 
a new  Dawning  Point  of  the  Light. 

That  there  are  many  signs  which  foretoken  the  near  arising  of  the 
Sun  upon  our  spiritual  night  very  few  who  are  at  all  thoughtful  or  reason- 
ing will  deny. 

The  question  as  to  how  that  Deliverer  is  to  appear  is  also  ab- 
sorbing the  thoughts  of  many,  and  out  of  these  many  thoughts  is  crys- 
tallizing one  predominating  belief. 

Since  Jesus  Christ  said  the  Coming  of  the  Son  of  Man  would  be 
as  silently  as  a thief  (St.  Matt.,  24:43),  and  unobserved  (St.  Luke,  17: 
20),  it  is  impossible  that  there  should  be  any  material  pomp  or  demon- 
stration. 

We  are  told  by  Jesus  that  the  Sun  of  the  former  spiritual  heavens’ 
will  darken,  and  that  the  light  of  its  moon  and  stars  will  fail.  Also  it 
is  prophesied  that  at  this  time  the  heavens  will  be  rolled  together  as 
a scroll  and  the  elements  shall  melt  with  fervent  heat.  What  is  this 
fire?  We  find  the  answer  in  Hebrews,  12:29,  “For  our  God  is  a con- 
suming fire.”  “The  end  of  the  world”  in  the  original  Greek  is  “the 
conclusion  of  the  age.”  It  means  that  a definite  cycle,  or  period,  is  per- 
fected, and  at  its  close,  the  Day  when  God  shall  reign  will  arise. 

The  Deliverer  of  the  earth  will  be  seen  and  known,  for  He  is  to 
come  and  dwell  with  His  people,  and  they,  the  flock  of  His  pasture 
“are  men,”  and  He  is  to  be  their  Shepherd  and  their  God.  Ezekiel 
34th  chap.,  from  23rd  verse  to  end. 


3 


Some  may  say  that  this  refers  to  Jesus  Christ.  Was  His  Ap- 
pearance the  time  in  which  the  Covenant  of  Universal  Peace  was  ful- 
filled? It  is  quite  true  that  through  the  spiritual  upliftment  of  His 
Presence  and  teachings  He  gave  the  secret  of  His  abiding  peace  to 
His  disciples;  but  He  said:  “I  came  not  to  send  peace,  but  a sword.” 
Also  in  His  great  parable  of  the  Lord  of  the  Vineyard  Jesus  Christ 
renews  this  prophecy,  as  found  in  St.  Mark,  12th  chap.,  four  parties  there 
being  mentioned,  two  of  which  are  the  Father  and  the  Son. 

In  Zechariah  we  have  many  important  prophecies  concerning 
this  time,  and  in  its  last  chapter,  verse  9,  the  declaration  is  made  that 
“The  Lord  shall  be  king  over  all  the  earth;  in  that  day  shall  there  be 
one  Lord,  and  his  name  one.” 

The  prophetic  utterances  of  the  Psalms  give  us  many  proofs. 
It  is  said  that  the  2nd  and  the  72nd  Psalms  were  never  fulfilled.  These 
announce  that  “the  King,  and  the  King’s  Son,  are  to  come.” 

Isaiah  tells  us  (30:20),  that  “thine  eyes  shall  see  thy  teachers.” 

Prophecy  always  declares  that  this  is  to  be  the  time  of  Judg- 
ment, of  sifting  the  nations;  1st  Chron.,  16:33;  Acts,  17:30-31;  Isaiah, 
30 :28 ; Amos,  9 :g,  etc. ; , of  separating  the  wheat  from  the  tares,  and  of 
restoration  and  restitution.  Acts,  3:21. 

Clearly  there  can  be  nothing  to  be  restored  in  the  Supreme 
Heavens. 

Therefore  the  Promised  One  must  appear  upon  the  earth,  be 
visible  to  all,  and  in  a manner  that  it  may  be  possible  for  all  to  know 
Him,  and  to  receive  of  Him.  God,  Himself,  has  been  teaching  us  to 
recognize  the  perfection  of  His  Laws,  which  Laws  man  alone  has 
abused.  In  reason  the  Deliverer  can  only  come  to  us  in  one  way; 
born  of  a woman,  born  under  the  law,  a Chosen  One  whom  God  will 
send,  and  in  whom  the  Divine  Word  will  incarnate,  and  by  its  Mani- 
festation, thus,  upon  earth,  restore  all  things  and  renew  the  heavens 
and  the  earth  and  all  that  therein  is.  Jesus  Christ  also  warns  us 
against  the  false  Christs  which  are  arising  upon  all  sides.  This  alone 
is  sufficient  proof  that  God  will  manifest  Himself  in  the  flesh  at  the 
end  of  the  age. 

Through  every  Revelator  the  same  Light  shines;  through  each, 
the  same  Word  (“Whose  goings  forth  have  been  from  of  old,  from 
everlasting;”)  manifests.  The  personality,  Jesus  tells  us,  is  nothing. 
The  personality  is  but  the  pure  and  polished  mirror,  which,  chosen  of 
God,  prepared  of  God,  and  sent  by  God,  appears  among  mankind,  and 
this  mirror  receives  the  Bounty  of  His  Light  and  reflects  it  out  unto 
mankind.  This  was  the  Light  of  Moses,  and  this  was  the  Light  of 
Jesus.  But  in  the  advance  of  revelation  the  Light  of  Jesus  was  much 
greater. 

This  Light,  in  every  age,  is  the  Reality  of  the  Messenger  sent  of  God. 
The  Word  which  speaks  through  that  Personality  is  that  Revelation 
through  which  we  come  into  a knowledge  of  our  God.  This  is  the 
Incarnated  Word.  The  personality,  and  the  “Garment  of  another 
Name,”  are  physical.  The  Power  of  the  Word,  manifested  in  and 
bringing  the  Light  through  that  personality,  is  our  means  of  communi- 
cation with  God. 


4 


In  the  3rd  and  4th  chapters  of  the  book  of  Malachi  we  also  find 
that!  a forerunner  is  to  appear,  declaring  the  near  approach  of  this 
Day,  and  preparing  the  Way  of  the  Lord.  The  Spirit  and  power  of 
Elijah  were  manifested  in  John  the  Baptist,  yet  in  the  first  chapter  of 
the  Gospel  according  to  St.  John  he  declared,  “I  am  not  he.”  The 
prophecies  regarding  the  coming  of  this  herald,  as  found  in  Malachi, 
identify  it  with  this  time  of  sifting  and  of  judgment.  It  is  to  be  the 
time  of  the  refining  fire;  it  is  the  Day  in  which  God  shall  appear. 
Perfection  shall  reign  and  shall  judge  the  earth. 

Who  is  this  who  is  to  arise  in  the  midst  of  spiritual  night? 
Malachi  declares  it  to  be  the  “Sun  of  Righteousness.”  Whom  did 
Jesus  say  that  this  was?  He  said  “I  will  return  in  the  Kingdom  of 
my  Father.”  Whose  message  did  Jesus  bring?  The  Message  of  His 
Father. 

When  they  besought  Him  at  Capernaum  not  to  depart  from  them, 
He  said:  “I  must  preach  the  Kingdom  of  God  to  other  cities  also,  for 
therefore  am  I sent.”  (St.  Luke,  4:42-43.)  He  was  sent  to  preach  the 
coming  of  the  Father’s  Kingdom,  not  of  His  own  Kingdom ; to  announce 
the  advent  of  the  “Lord  of  the  Vineyard.”  He  taught  His  little  band 
of  disciples  to  pray  for  the  coming  of  that  Kingdom.  We  find  that  Jesus 
often  prayed  to  the  Father. 

It  is  very  true  that  He  said:  “I  and  My  Father  are  one.”  Jesus 
Christ  was  a mirror  in  which  the  Light  of  the  Sun  shone,  and  which 
reflected  that  Light ; and  by  this  union  and  communion  they  were 
one.  This  is  why  He  said:  “I  am  in  the  Father  and  the  Father  in 

Me;”  and,  also,  “He  who  hath  seen  the  Son  hath  seen  the  Father.” 
Tf  a bar  of  iron  is  heated  in  the  fire  it  will  become  characterized  with 
the  characteristics  of  the  fire.  It  is  in  the  fire  and  the  fire  is  in  it. 

Jesus  also  said:  “My  Father  is  greater  than  I.”  (St.  John, 
14:28.)  Likewise  He  said:  (St.  Luke,  18:19.)  “Why  callest  thou  me 

good?  None  is  good  save  one,  that  is,  God.”  He  said  : “Hear  O Israel ! 
the  Lord  our  God  is  one  Lord!”  (St.  Mark,  12:29.) 

Jesus  told  His  disciples  that  He  did  nothing  of  Himself,  but  the 
Father  dwelling  in  Him  did  the  works;  (St.  John,  14:10)  that  if  the 
disciples  had  faith  they  could  do  even  greater  works  than  He  did.  (St. 
Matt.,  21:21,  etc.)  He  said  the  Word  which  they  heard  was  not  His, 
but  the  Father’s.  He  talked  only  of  the  Father,  of  the  coming  of  whose 
Glorious  Day  He  was  the  Faithful  Witness.  He  proclaimed  to  all  that 
this  was  to  be  the  Dispensation  of  the  Fatherhood  of  God.  In  his  last 
sublime  hours  He  said  that  “He  was  not  alone  because  the  Father  was 
with  Him.”  (St.  John,  16:32.)  Certain  of  His  last  words  were  “My 
God,  my  God,  Why  hast  Thou  forsaken  me?”  And  yet  He  expected 
to  go  to  the  Father. 

The  record  of  Him,  as  “a  man  approved  of  God  among  you,” 
through  many  mighty  works  “which  God  did  by  Him,”  which  are  the 
words  of  St.  Peter,  spoken  on  the  day  of  Pentecost ; and  those  of  St.  Paul 
in  Hebrews,  concerning  the  Beloved,  which  tell  us  that  “the  Captain 
of  our  salvation  was  made  perfect  through  suffering,”  do  not  in  the 
slightest  degree  impair  the  power  and  majesty  of  this  Wonderful 
Messenger  sent  by  the  Father. 

They  who  wrote  those  records  of  His  life  gladly  walked  in  His 
lowly  but  glorious  footsteps,  even  unto  martyrdom,  His  foes  being 

5 


their  foes,  as  St.  Paul  chronicles  in  ist  Thess.,  2:15:  “Who  both  killed 
the  Lord  Jesus,  and  their  own  prophets,  and  have  persecuted  us.” 

Jesus  Christ  was  the  Word  of  God,  the  Son  of  God,  the  Mystery 
of  God:  His  utterances  have  founded  the  Christian  Dispensation,  and, 
for  nineteen  hundred  years,  have  been  the  Light  of  the  Occident. 

But  if  we  believe  in  this  Light  we  must  believe  in  His  prophecies. 

Clinching  the  words  of  Christ  we  further  find  Who  is  to  come, 
and  where,  in  the  9th  chapter  of  Isaiah  and  the  6th  verse:  “Unto  us 
a child  is  bom,  unto  us  a Son  is  given;  and  the  government  shall  be 
upon  his  shoulder;  and  His  Name  shall  be  called  Wonderful,  Coun- 
sellor, The  Mighty  God,  The  Everlasting  Father,  The  Prince  of  Peace.” 
He  is  to  come  in  the  flesh.  The  government — a spiritual  government — 
is  to  be  upon  his  shoulder.  His  Name  shall  be  called  “Wonderful,  Coun- 
sellor.” “The  Mighty  God.”  Did  Jesus  claim  this?  “The  Everlasting 
Father?”  Did  Jesus  say:  “I  am  the  Father?”  or  that: “My  Father  is 
greater  than  I ; and  I go  unto  Him  ?”  “The  Prince  of  Peace !” 

Nineteen  hundred  years  ago  was  not  the  Dawn  of  the  Universal 
Peace.  To-day  the  world  is  looking  for  this  glorious  culmination  of 
the  ages,  wherein  “Mercy  and  Truth  shall  meet  together;  righteous- 
ness and  peace  shall  kiss  each  other.”  (Ps.,  85:10.) 

In  the  first  two  verses  of  the  9th  chapter  of  Isaiah  we  find  a 
prophecy  concerning  the  people  in  the  “lands  of  Zebulun  and  Naph- 
tali,”  “by  the  way  of  the  sea,  beyond  Jordan,  in  Galilee  of  the  nations,” 
and  upon  them  is  to  shine  a great  Light;  this  is  the  Light  of  “The 
Mighty  God,  The  Everlasting  Father,”  Who  is  to  come. 

Bethlehem,  Nazareth,  Jerusalem,  are  not  by  any  sea. 

Nazareth,  the  most  northerly  of  the  three  localities,  is  twenty- 
one  miles  southeast  of  the  City  of  Acre  on  the  Mediterranean  sea, 
and  some  miles  west  of  the  little  sea  of  Galilee,  which  is  a small  in- 
land lake,  thirteen  miles  in  length.  In  the  earliest  ages  of  Christian- 
ity Nazareth  was  quite  overlooked  by  the  church.  It  did  not  con- 
tain a single  Christian  resident  before  the  time  of  Constantine,  and 
the  first  Christian  pilgrimage  to  it  took  place  in  the  sixth  century. 

Also  the  region  where  this  Light  is  located  is  beyond  Jordan. 
Galilee,  too,  a Hebrew  word,  signifying  a “circle”  or  a “circuit”  was 
originally  applied  (Joshua,  20:7),  to  a small  district  belonging  to  the 
Jewish  tribe  of  Naphtali;  but  Biblical  history  informs  us  that  at  the 
time  of  the  appearance  of  Jesus  Christ  the  term  “Galilee”  embraced  the 
whole  northern  portion  of  Palestine,  from  the  Mediterranean  Sea  to  the 
river  Jordan. 

There  are  two  Bethlehems  laid  down  in  some  of  the  Biblical 
maps  of  Palestine.  One  has  to  do  with  the  time  of  the  early  king- 
doms of  Judah  and  Israel.  This  Bethlehem  is  the  more  northerly 
one,  and  its  location  is  about  as  far  west  from  Nazareth  as  Nazareth 
is  west  of  the  sea  of  Galilee.  But  the  birthplace  of  Jesus  Christ  was 
“Bethlehem  of  Judea.”  It  was  in  the  territory  of  Judah  (or  Judea), 
and  was  located  several  miles  south  of  Jerusalem,  and,  as  is  Jerusalem 
also,  some  miles  inland  and  west  of  the  Dead  Sea.  Judea  was  the 
name  of  the  third  district  of  Palestine.  It  was  south  of  the  district 
of  Samaria. 


c 


This  is  the  Judea  over  which  Herod  the  Great  reigned  when  the 
Star  arose  in  his  territory.  Occasionally  the  name,  Judea,  was  ap- 
plied to  the  whole  of  Palestine. 

The  pathway  of  Jesus  touched  but  briefly  along  the  northern 
Mediterranean  coast,  the  traces  of  His  Holy  Footsteps  being  princi- 
pally inland.  His  was  not  the  time  of  Judgment  or  of  establishing 
Justice.  (Isa.,  9 7.) 

Many  prophets  did  prepare  the  way  for  His  coming,  and  He  pre- 
pared the  way  for  the  Coming  of  His  Father. 

In  Rev.  2 1st  Chap. — which  is  the  Revelation  of  Jesus  which  He 
gave  to  St.  John — we  find  Who  is  to  Come.  There  shall  be  a new 
heaven  and  a new  earth; — the  new  spiritual  conditions. 

The  new  spiritual  Jerusalem  is  to  descend  as  a bride  out  of 
heaven,  and  (verse  3rd)  God,  Himself,  is  to  dwell  with  His  people 
and  be  their  God. 

In  the  same  chapter,  two,  who  are  to  be  the  Light,  and  the  Tem- 
ple, are  promised;  God,  and  the  Lamb. 

Jeremiah  says  (30:21),  of  this  Holy  Age:  “Their  nobles  shall  be 
of  themselves  and  their  Governor  shall  proceed  from  the  midst  of 
them ;”  or,  as  the  Revised  Version,  which  brings  out  these  great  Truths 
so  clearly,  records:  “Their  Prince  shall  be  of  themselves,  and  their 

Ruler  shall  proceed  from  the  midst  of  them.” 

In  Titus,  2:13,  we  find  the  “Appearance  of  the  Great  God,  and  our 
Saviour  Jesus  Christ,”  are  to  be  looked  for.  As  late  as  the  middle  of 
the  fourth  century  the  purity  of  this  knowledge  had  been  preserved,  and 
was  witnessed  to  by  the  Nicene  Council. 

We  are  told  that  David  delivered  to  His  Son  the  building  of  a 
temple  to  be  reared  without  the  “sound  of  a hammer,”  and  we  know 
that  no  earthly  temple  can  be  so  reared.  There  is  more  than  a finite, 
ancient  order  of  symbolism  in  this. 

The  Covenant  of  God  is  renewed  in  His  Sacred  Books,  through- 
out the  ages.  Every  prophet  has  foretold  the  signs  and  re-declared 
God’s  promises  concerning  this  Great  Day. 

The  Bible  itself  was  written  for  it. 

Out  of  the  many  signs  foreshadowing  the  approach  of  this  Period 
it  is  difficult  in  one  lesson  to  select  a few  to  present. 

St.  Paul  said:  “Judge  nothing  before  the  time  until  the  Lord  come, 
who  both  will  bring  to  light  the  hidden  things  of  darkness,  and  will 
make  manifest  the  counsels  of  the  hearts.”  (1st  Cor.,  4:5.) 

Jesus  Christ  has  also  declared  that:  Nothing  that  was  hidden  but 

should  be  manifested.  (St.  Mark,  4:22.)  Have  we  not  this? 

In  St.  James,  the  5th  Chapter,  first  eight  verses,  and  2nd  Timo- 
thy, the  3rd  Chapter,  first  five  verses,  we  have  many  things  recorded 
concerning  these  conditions  when  men  shall  be  “lovers  of  themselves 
instead  of  lowers  of  God,”  and  “having  only  a form  of  godliness.” 

Also  in  1st  Timothy,  4th  Chap,  and  first  five  verses,  many  are  to 
depart  from  the  faith  and  announce  new  doctrines  and  beliefs.  We 
find  the  same  in  3rd  Chap,  of  Zephaniah,  and  God’s  promise  to  all 
those  who  in  that  Day  believe  in  His  Appearing. 

In  Micah,  3:11,  and  in  other  places,  those  who  dishonor  God  by 
taking  money  in  exchange  for  teachings  of  Him,  are  warned  as  to  what 


7 


the  result  of  this  corruption  will  be.  Did  Christ  or  His  disciples  teach 
for  money?  Was  their  “hire”  a thing  of  dollars?  “Ye  have  made  My 
Father’s  house  a house  of  merchandise.”  “Ho,  every  one  that  thirsteth, 
come  ye  to  the  waters,  and  he  that  hath  no  money;  come  ye,  buy  and 
eat;  yea,  come,  buy  wine  and  milk  without  money  and  without  price.” 
“For  My  thoughts  are  not  your  thoughts,  neither  are  your  ways  My 
ways,  saith  the  Lord.”  (Isaiah,  55:1  and  8.) 

In  Zech.,  8:10,  we  have  three  foretokens;  no  hire  for  man,  nor  any 
for  beast;  nor  any  peace  to  him  that  went  out  and  came  in  because  of 
the  affliction;  “for  I set  all  men  every  one  against  his  neighbor.” 

In  Joel,  2 :28-2g,  we  have  the  promise  of  a great  psychic  quickening, 
and  we  hear  of  many,  who,  ignorant  of  its  sacredness,  are  corrupting 
it  in  various  ways. 

In  Daniel,  12:4,  “Knowledge  shall  be  increased”;  knowledge 
through  all  awakened  channels;  knowledge  of  sciences,  philosophy, 
arts,  etc.;  knowledge  of  ourselves;  and  knowledge  of  our  God. 

Let  us  go  to  St.  Matthew,  24th  chap,  and  the  21st  chap,  of  St. 
Luke.  If  we  read  these  with  God-like  eyes  and  ears  we  need  look  no 
further;  for  Jesus  herein  took  up  the  signs  given  by  the  prophets 
throughout  the  cycle  of  prophethood,  which  would,  they  declared, 
announce  the  Dawn  of  the  Great  Day  of  God ; and  Himself  reiterated 
them. 

False  Christs  are  to  abound;  wars  and  rumors  of  wars;  king- 
dom rising  against  kingdom ; famine,  plague,  pestilence  and  great 
tribulation;  all  of  these  are  both  material  and  spiritual.  One  great 
sign  Jesus  gave;  that  of  the  abomination  of  desolation  standing  in 
the  Holy  Place ; and  He  referred  to  Daniel  who  has  predicted  this  in 
his  12th  chapter;  and  then  we  find  this  abomination  of  desolation  to 
be  the  complete  degradation  of  the  Jews,  of  which  the  arising  of  Mo- 
hammed was  the  symbol.  And  this  is  all  fulfilled  in  their  completed 
downfall  and  scattering. 

Now,  knowing  the  signs  of  their  deliverance  are  upon  the  earth, 
they  are  gathering  home  to  the  city  Jerusalem. 

The  generation  of  which  Christ  speaks  is  a spiritual  one,  and  re- 
fers to  the  creation  (or  generation)  of  His  Dispensation.  (St.  Matt., 
24:340 

God  said,  “The  sword  of  the  Lord  is  filled  with  blood.”  (Isa.,  34 :6. ) 

Why?  Because  many  shall  doubt  and  shall  curse  the  Light,  shall 
blaspheme,  shall  revile  its  appearance. 

There  will  be  much  opposition,  persecution  and  martyrdom. 

These  will  be  the  days  of  tribulation,  through  which  the  robes 
of  God’s  own  beloved  will  be  made  white.  It  has  happened  in  the 
founding  of  every  Dispensation.  But  in  this  time  there  “will  be  such 
a time  of  trouble”  as  never  before  was  known  to  the  world — because 
this  is  to  be  the  Universal  Truth,  and  therefore  all  religions  will  oppose  it. 

Distress  and  great  affliction  will  be  the  portion  of  each  and  all ; 
and  these  things  will  come  to  warn  the  peoples  of  the  earth  that  unless 
they  believe  in  Him  when  He  comes,  the  spirit  will  be  taken  from 
them  and  they  will  become  as  dead  bodies.  To  the  unbeliever  it  will 
be  a time  of  agony;  to  the  believer,  a time  of  purification. 


8 


The  shadow  of  these  things  is  upon  the  earth. 

In  Amos,  8:11,  we  find  a great  prophecy;  “Behold,  the  days  come, 
saith  the  Lord  God,  that  I will  send  a famine  in  the  land;  not  a famine  of 
bread,  nor  a thirst  for  water,  but  of  hearing  the  words  of  the  Lord.” 
But  listen  to  God’s  promise  in  Joel,  3:18:  “And  it  shall  come  to  pass  in 
that  day,  that  the  mountains  shall  drop  down  new  wine,  and  the  hills  shall 
flow  with  milk,  and  all  the  rivers  of  Judah  shall  flow  with  waters,  and  a 
fountain  shall  come  forth  of  the  house  of  the  Lord,  and  shall  wate 
the  valley  of  Shittim.” 

Three  are  to  come:  the  Herald  who  will  prepare  the  way  of  God 
by  opening  the  hearts  of  the  people  that  they  may  believe  Him  when 
He  comes;  the  Promised  One,  Plimself ; and  His  Glorious  Son  and 
Heir. 

This  is  the  Dawn  of  the  Seventh  Great  Creational  Day.  A New 
Generation  is  to  appear.  When  the  throes  of  a world’s  spiritual 
birth  are  at  their  height,  One  will  arise  as  its  Great  Deliverer,  and 
then  will  be  born  the  Era  of  the  Most  Great  Peace,  and  we  shall  be 
led  out  of  the  Land  of  Captivity  and  into  the  Land  of  Freedom.  In 
that  Glad  Hour  there  shall  be  but  One  Fold,  One  Shepherd,  One  Lord 
upon  the  earth,  and  HIS  NAME  ONE. 


9 


LESSON  2— THE  BAB. 


“When  religion  goes  down  and  irreligion  prevails,  I take  My 
birth  to  establish  it  again.” 

Sometimes  mankind  does  not  realize  this  until  after  the  Light  has 
shone  and  departed.  Such  was  the  case  1900  years  ago. 

Within  the  past  sixty  years  a Trinity  of  Revelators  has  appeared 
upon  the  earth.  These  are  the  promised  ones  of  God. 

There  has  been  the  Proclaimer  of  the  coming  of  Truth,  the 
Bab:  The  Revelator  of  All-Truth,  Baha’-Ullah:  The  Deliverer  of  All- 
Truth,  Abdul-Baha’. 

The  Bab  was  a young  merchant,  bom  in  Shiraz,  Persia,  a descend- 
ant of  Mohammed.  He  bore,  very  early  in  life,  the  marks  of  a super- 
natural power,  which  attracted  and  impressed  all  who  came  in  con- 
tact with  him.  It  was  the  early  dawn  of  the  Light,  but  the  darkness 
comprehended  it  not.  The  word  “Bab”  is  Arabic  and  means  the 
“Gate.” 

In  May,  1844,  which  corresponds  with  our  “time,  times  and  half 
a time”  in  the  last  chapter  of  the  prophetic  book  of  Daniel,  he  declared 
his  mission  and  delivered  his  message.  His  mission  was  that  of  a fore- 
runner and  herald ; his  message  was  the  announcement  of  the  coming  of 
the  Perfect  One,  Who,  although  upon  earth,  was  yet  veiled  to  mortal 
vision;  “by  Whose  will  he  moved,  and  to  the  bond  of  Whose  Love  he 
clung,  craving  only  that  his  life  might  be  accepted  of  Him  as  a sacrifice.” 

The  utterances  of  the  Bab,  although  so  youthful  and  so  unedu- 
cated, moved  all  hearts,  and  many  believed  on  his  words.  The  Mo- 
hammedans arose  to  destroy  his  influence,  and  persecution  of  himself 
and  his  followers  began  to  appear  on  ail  sides.  The  divines  and  schol- 
ars, by  both  collective  and  individual  effort,  endeavored  to  “quench 
this  fire,”  but  all  efforts  were  as  nothing  in  its  Presence.  Many 
learned  ones  sought  him  for  the  purpose  of  pure  investigation,  and 
surrendered  to  the  proofs  of  his  claims.  One  said,  “The  season  of 
Spring  and  Wine  has  arrived ;”  and,  “Search  after  knowledge  after 
reaching  the  known  is  culpable.”  This  man  of  note,  Mulla  Mohammed 
Ali,  went  forth  from  the  Presence  of  the  Bab,  proclaiming  from  the 
pulpit  his  newly-found  joy,  advising  all  to  drink  from  this  Cup  of  clear 
water,  and  wrote  his  own  confession  of  faith  and  allegiance  to  the 
Bab;  and  then  himself  became  a target  for  the  malign  arrows  of  Mos- 
lem hostility. 

So  powerful  became  the  Message  of  the  Bab,  so  great  the  results 
appearing  from  his  words,  that  grievous  persecution,  plot  and  intrigue 
arose  against  him  and  his  rapidly  augmenting  band  of  believers.  But 
all  fell  harmless  and  abortive,  and  finally  the  divines,  instead  of  seek- 
ing to  investigate  his  claims,  began  to  avoid  him. 

In  pulpit  and  in  private  they  declared  the  Bab  an  injurer  to  religion 
and  state. 


10 


The  Moslems  combined  and  resorted  to  arms  against  him  and  his 
faithful  ones,  who  rallied  together  upon  the  defensive.  Although  the 
Babis  were  feeble  in  number,  starved  in  body  under  the  long  siege  of 
cruelties  successively  uprising  against  them,  and  an  army  of  living 
skeletons,  yet  they  used  to  meet  their  besiegers,  fresh  from  a prepara- 
tory night  of  worship,  “reading  and  intoning  the  sacred  texts  of 
the  New  Dispensation,  with  sweet  and  strange  utterance”,  and  anti- 
phonally  chanting  in  perfect  music  (both  spiritually  and  physically) 
their  new  Alleluia — “Allah-u-Abha.” 

Under  the  power  of  this  exaltation  of  soul,  on  the  following  day, 
they  would  meet  the  enemy  and  conquer.  Finally,  reduced  to  a state 
of  siege,  through  a dastardly  intrigue  of  the  Mohammedans  they  were 
drawn  into  a so-called  truce,  and  when  entirely  unarmed,  half  fam- 
ished and  faint,  with  food  placed  before  them  to  add  to  their  torture, 
their  treacherous  adversaries  fell  upon  them  and  massacred  the  ma- 
jority of  them.  Even  thus,  they  gained  their  wish,  which  was  to  die 
in  the  path  of  their  Beloved.  Such  was  their  unfaltering  trust  in  God! 
Scores  of  such  incidents  are  chronicled. 

Finally,  after  many  dire  experiences,  such  influence  was  brought 
to  bear  upon  the  authorities  that  this  greatest  of  heralds — this  un- 
daunted and  buoyant  spirit — the  Bab,  as  the  source  of  all  this  disturb- 
ance, was  imprisoned  for  nine  months  in  the  Castle  of  Maku,  which 
was  situated  upon  an  almost  inaccessible  mountain  summit.  But  even 
there  God  took  care  of  him  and  raised  up  friends  insome  of  his  at- 
tendants. 

From  thence  he  was  removed  to  the  Castle  of  Chirik.  Need  I 
state  that  notwithstanding  this  rigor  of  persecution,  and  even  al- 
though under  the  close  personal  guard  of  his  implacable  enemies, 
the  Light  which  he  brought  could  not  be  confined,  but  spread  inces- 
santly, and  his  believers  increased  in  numbers  and  in  steadfastness! 

Neither  hunger,  nor  thirst,  nor  stripes,  nor  imprisonment,  nor  any- 
thing, even  unto  death,  produced  any  effect  upon  them.  Throughout 
Persia  the  might  of  the  Bab’s  declaration  absorbed  all  thoughts. 

And  the  Bab,  lifted  above  all  the  tumult,  by  the  Light  within  his 
soul,  restricted  himself,  in  his  prison  cell,  to  repeating  his  Great  Mes- 
sage concerning,  and  meditating  upon,  the  ONE  of  Whose  coming 
he  was  the  honored  Herald. 

This  is  one  of  his  meditations. 

“Though  the  ocean  of  woe  rageth  on  every  side,  and  the  bolts  of 
fate  follow  in  quick  succession,  and  the  darknesses  of  grief  and  afflic- 
tions invade  soul  and  body,  yet  is  my  heart  brightened  by  the  remem- 
brance of  Thy  Countenance,  and  my  soul  is  a rose-garden  from  the 
perfume  of  Thy  Nature.” 

Even  while  imprisoned  he  was  summoned  before  the  government 
tribunal  at  Tabriz.  In  vain  they  tried  to  condemn  him  by  his  own 
words ; finally  one  doctor  inflicted  a brutal  scourging  upon  him,  and 
after  this  indignity,  which  he  bore  with  meekness  and  non-resistance 
— a sublime  proof  of  the  greatness  of  his  mission — they  returned  him 
to  the  prison  Castle  of  Chirik. 

The  extraordinary  increase  in  the  number  of  his  followers  awoke 
the  alarm  of  the  Moslems  and,  later  on,  church  and  state  clasped 
hands  and  held  riot  against  the  Faith,  combining,  by  every  method 


11 


possible  to  be  devised,  to  uproot  the  Babis.  Some  great  personages 
about  this  time  allied  themselves  with  heart  and  soul  to  the  Cause, 
among  whom  was  that  gifted  and  beautiful  woman,  Kurrat-l-Ayn, 
the  daughter  of  a sage,  and  Mirza  Mohammed  Ali  of  Masandaran. 
These  new  accessions  arose  to  serve  the  Faith  with  such  power  that 
naught  could  put  them  down.  Great  slaughters  of  the  Babis  fol- 
lowed ; countless  cruelties — some  too  horrible  to  mention — were  in- 
flicted; their  defenceless  homes  were  plundered;  they  were  ambushed 
and  shot  down ; their  bodies  ripped  open  exposing  their  vitals ; they 
were  burned  with  hot  irons  to  a crisp ; they  were  cut  by  many  sw'ords, 
and  fell,  “bleeding  at  every  pore” ; they  were  sawn  asunder.  After 
life  had  departed  their  heads  were  cut  off,  their  bodies  were  hacked 
and  trodden  upon.  But  in  the  face,  of  all  the  severest  trials  and  tor- 
ture they  bore  aloft  the  banner  of  the  Faith  with  a devotion  unparal- 
leled in  modern  times.  Joy  supernal  reigned  in  their  souls,  while  all 
about  them  existed  the  reign  of  destruction. 

The  Mohammedans  are  divided  into  two  great  branches,  the  Sun- 
nites of  Turkey  and  the  Shiites  of  Persia;  and  these  are  subdivided 
into  many  sects,  but  no  great  disturbances  had  ever  existed  among 
them  until  the  Bab  arose  and  declared  himself.  When  this  occurred 
the  darkness  became  manifest  through,  and  opposed  to,  the  Light. 
But  that  Light  shone  clearer  and  ever  yet  more  clear  unto  the  end  of 
this  sublime  life.  It  has  been  said  of  the  Bab  that  his  word  so  intoxi- 
cated his  followers  with  th  ine  of  Divine  Love  and  Wisdom  that 
they  forgot  all  beside,  and  earthly  things  became  as  nothing. 

The  Bab  was  athirst  for  martyrdom  in  the  Cause  of  the  Great 
Tidings  which  he  had  declared;  and  this  “Cup  overflowing  with  the 
gift  of  God,”  was  granted  him. 

On  the  8th  of  July,  1850,  in  the  morning,  he  was  suspended  by 
ropes  and  a regiment  of  soldiers  ordered  to  fire  upon  him.  None  of 
the  shots  took  effect,  the  slender  ropes  alone  being  cut,  and  when  the 
smoke  cleared  away  he  was  found  near  by,  unharmed.  Again  his 
enemies  suspended  him  and  gave  orders  to  the  soldiers  to  fire.  These, 
however,  made  their  excuses  and  another  regiment  was  summoned 
and  their  volleys  liberated  his  victorious  spirit  which  passed  to  the 
Beyond,  and  rested  in  the  Presence  of  God.  “Blessed  is  the  body 
which  is  cut  into  pieces  for  the  sake  of  Faithfulness.” 

Six  months  before  his  departure  the  Bab  sent  a sealed  epistle  to 
a disciple  named  Hadjii  Suliman  Khan,  instructing  him  to  break  the 
seal  only  when  a “grievous  sorrow  and  affliction  befell  him.”  When 
the  sacrifice  of  the  Bab’s  life  took  place,  and  this  disciple  heard  the 
report  of  the  muskets,  he  knew  that  this  was  the  event  predicted,  and 
broke  the  seal  of  the  letter.  The  contents  announced  that  six  months 
from  the  date  of  writing  the  Bab  would  suffer  martyrdom  at  Tabriz. 
The  date  fell  exactly  on  that  day.  The  letter  also  gave  instructions  as 
to  the  disposition  of  his  body.  The  disciples  went  by  night  to  the 
sentinels  who  stood  guard  over  the  body  as  it  lay  in  the  moat  outside 
of  the  city  walls  with  the  body  of  a follower  who  had  determined  to 
die  with  him,  bribed  these  sentinels  and  bore  the  bodies  away. 
Shrouded  in  white  silk  and  placed  in  a chest,  they  were  later  removed 
to  Teheran,  and  in  the  recent  past,  arrangements  were  made  for  a 
shrine  and  an  interment  elsewhere. 

Thus  the  Bab  fulfilled  his  holy  mission. 

12 


Since  revelation  is  progressive,  the  station  of  the  herald  is  pro- 
gressive and  the  Light,  which  appeared  through  the  Bab  and  gave  its 
bounties  unto  all,  was  a fitting  Dawn  preceding  the  Splendor  so  soon 
to  envelop  the  world. 

The  cycle  of  the  Bab  was  the  cycle  wherein  he  trained  and 
developed  the  people  for  the  meeting  of  God,  and  therefore  he  called 
himself  the  Supreme  Lord. 

After  his  departure  the  fires  of  persecution  were  renewed,  and 
thousands  of  his  followers  were  massacred,  and  helpless  women  and 
little  children  were  ruthlessly  trodden  down  and  destroyed.  But  the 
Word,  spoken  through  this  great  Annunciator,  kindled  not  only  the 
heart  of  Persia,  but  spread  to  other  parts  of  the  world,  and  many, 
knowing  the  signs,  came  to  seek  its  Light  and  to  become  confirmed 
in  its  great  Reality,  and  to  bear  to  other  lands  its  Fragrance. 

The  history  of  the  cycle  of  the  Bab  is  the  history  of  blood ; but, 
as  one  has  spoken  of  these  martyrdoms,  “their  blood  and  clay  have 
formed  the  foundation  stones  of  this  heavenly  temple,”  and,  verily, 
we  know  that  the  foundations  of  this  Faith  will  never  be  destroyed. 
The  Bab’s  first  believer  was  Mulla  Huseyn  of  Bushraweyh,  a most 
eminent,  far-eastern  divine,  who  sought  him  for  the  purpose  of  inves- 
tigation and  became  so  filled  by  the  power  of  the  utterances  of  the 
Bab  that  he  went  forth  at  once  to  proclaim  his  message.  Thus  he 
was  called  “Bab-el-Bab,”  which  means,  the  “Gate  of  the  Gate.”  Also 
he  was  called  the  “First  Letter  of  the  Living” — there  being  eighteen 
“Letters,”  or  first  believers,  who  gathered  about  the  Bab.  The  Bab 
was  the  nineteenth.  He  was  also  the  First  Point,  meaning  the  Point 
of  Revelation,  and  of  the  Creational  Book  of  God. 

He  left  many  writings  and  proofs  of  the  greatness  of  his  mission, 
and  one  especial  book  of  prophecy,  called  “El-Beyan”  (the  Explana- 
tion). The  whole  purport  of  his  words  and  writings  was  to  prove 
to  the  people  that  he  was  only  a messenger  of  Glad  Tidings  of  the 
coming  of  a Greater  One,  through  Whose  Revelation  Universal 
Peace  would  be  established.  It  was  to  be  the  Day  of  the  Reign  of 
God.  This  message  was  his  joy  and  comfort  in  the  darkness  of  his 
prison. 

He  said,  “I  am  a letter  out  of  that  most  mighty  Book;  a dew- 
drop  from  that  limitless  Ocean;  and  when  He  shall  appear,  my  true 
nature,  my  mysteries,  riddles  and  intimations  will  become  evident, 
and  the  embryo  of  this  religion  shall  develop  through  all  the  grades 
of  its  being  and  ascent,  attain  the  most  comely  of  Forms,  and  become 
adorned  with  the  robe  of,  blessed  be  God,  the  Best  of  Creators.” 

He  said,  “The  whole  Beyan  revolves  around  the  saying  of  Him 
Whom  God  shall  manifest,”  and  that,  “The  Beyan  and  such  as  are 
believers,  yearn  more  after  Him  than  the  yearning  of  any  lover  after 
his  beloved.” 

Also,  “If  one  should  hear  a single  verse  from  Him  and  recite 
it,  it  is  better  than  that  he  should  recite  the  Beyan  a thousand 
times — ”. 

The  Bab  likewise  said : “O  Remnant  of  God,  I am  wholly  sac- 
rificed unto  Thee;  I am  content  with  curses  in  Thy  Way;  I crave 
naught  but  to  be  slain  in  Thy  Love;  and  God,  the  Supreme,  suflficeth 
as  an  Eternal  Protection.” 


13 


The  Bab  fulfilled  Moslem  prophecy  in  being  the  “return”  of  the 
Twelfth  Imam.  He  fulfilled  Zoroastrian  prophecy  as  the  “Dawn”  of 
the  Hew  Day  when  Three  Chosen  Ones  should  appear.  The  first 
of  this  Trinity  of  Manifestation  “Was  to  be  like  the  Dawn.” 

He  fulfilled  Israelitish  prophecy  as  Elijah.  The  name,  Elijah, 
has  a spiritual  significance  and  is  the  symbol  of  the  mission  and 
message  of  the  forerunner — It  means  “My  God  is  Jehovah.” 

The  Bab  fulfilled  Christian  prophecy  as  the  Angel,  who,  with 
the  sound  of  a trumpet,  would  precede  the  coming  of  the  Son  of 
Man.  The  voice  of  the  trumpet  is  the  Voice  of  the  Incarnated  Word 
which  spoke  through  the  Bab,  and  his  cycle  is  the  time  of  the  first 
Resurrection.  Revelation,  4:1.  Resurrection  is  a spiritual  awakening, 
in  this  body  of  the  dust,  when  the  voice  of  the  trumpet  calls  us,  and  we 
arise  out  of  our  graves  to  know  God. 

Mohammed,  1300  years  ago,  declared  of  the  Bab,  that  “In  him 
shall  be  the  perfection  of  Moses,  the  preciousness  of  Jesus,  and  the 
patience  of  Job.  His  saints  shall  be  abased  in  his  time,  and  their 
heads  exchanged  as  presents  by  their  enemies.  They  shall  be  slain, 
and  burned,  and  shall  be  afraid,  and  fearful,  and  dismayed;  the  earth 
shall  be  dyed  with  their  blood,  and  wailing  shall  prevail  among  their 
women.  These  are  My  saints  indeed!” 

The  Bab  never  saw  the  One  of  Whose  Coming  he  was  the  heav- 
enly Courier  and  Herald.  His  knowledge  of  Him  was  all  from  God. 
But  He  said  of  Him,  that  “no  fire  was  more  intense  than  the  fire  of 
turning  away  from  Him.” 

It  has  been  almost  sixty  years  since  this  Angel  first  sounded  the 
trumpet  call  throughout  the  earth ; and  in  response  to  it,  thousands 
of  the  “elect”  have  been  gathering  from  the  four  winds,  from  one 
end  of  heaven  to  the  other. 

The  Bab’s  little  Day  of  between  five  and  six  wonderful  years, 
as  men  count  years — has  passed,  and  his  holy  mission  has  ended — for 
the  Effulgence  of  the  Revelation  of  Him  Whom  God  has  Manifested 
— Baha’-Ullah — to-day  is  illuminating  the  world.  For  He  has  come: 
The  One  who  was  covenanted  has  come. 

And  He  has  declared  to  the  nations  and  kingdoms  of  the  earth: 
“I  am  Ready.”  “The  Father  has  come!” 

“Tis  Day-break  every- where  !” 


Letter  from  Aka  Mohammed  Ali  of  Tabriz,  who  suffered  death  with 
his  Master,  the  Bab,  written  to  his  brother  who  desired  him  to  recant. 


HE  IS  THE  COMPASSIONATE! 

O Thou  who  art  my  Kibla!  My  condition,  thanks  to  God,  has 
no  fault,  and  “to  every  difficulty  succeedeth  ease.”  You  have  written 
that  this  matter  has  no  end.  What  matter,  then,  has  any  end?  We, 
at  least,  have  no  discontent  in  this  matter:  Nay,  rather  we  are  unable 
sufficiently  to  express  our  thanks  for  this  favor.  The  end  of  this 
matter  is,  to  be  slain  in  the  way  of  God,  and  O ! what  happiness  is 
this!  The  will  of  God  will  come  to  pass  with  regard  to  His  servants. 


14 


neither  can  human  plans  avert  the  Divine  Decree.  What  God 
wills  comes  to  pass,  and  there  is  no  power  and  no  strength,  but 
in  God.  O,  Thou  who  art  my  Kibla!  the  end  of  the  world  is  death: 
“every  soul  tastes  of  death.”  If  the  appointed  fate  which  God 
(Mighty  and  Glorious  is  He!)  hath  decreed,  overtake  me,  then  God  is 
the  guardian  of  my  family  and  thou  art  mine  executor;  behave  in  such 
wise  as  is  pleasing  to  God,  and  pardon  whatever  has  proceeded  from  me 
which  may  seem  lacking  in  courtesy,  or  contrary  to  the  respect  due  from 
juniors;  and  seek  pardon  for  me  from  all  those  of  my  household  and 
commit  me  to  God.  God  is  my  portion  and  how  good  is  He  as  a Guardian ! 


15 


LESSON  3— THE  REVELATION  OF  BAHA’-ULLAH’. 

This  is  the  simplest  of  Messages,  and  therefore  the  greatest ; 
for  greatness  is  always  characterized  by  simplicity. 

Truth  is  simplicity  itself. 

The  Revelation  of  Baha’-Ullah  is  the  Revelation  which  rights 
all  wrong,  for  it  comes  from  the  World  which  rights  the  wrongs  of 
this  one. 

Its  mission  is  one  of  love  and  fragrance ; of  peace  on  earth ; good 
will  to  men. 

It  has  appeared  for  the  purpose  of  unifying,  and  cementing  to- 
gether, into  one  great  family,  all  the  nations  of  the  earth. 

Its  followers  must  become  the  servants  of  all,  and  the  cup  bear- 
ers of  Divine  Knowledge  unto  all.  They  are  messengers  who  are 
rewarded  only  by  God,  and  then  only  so  far  as  their  service  is  pure 
in  Hfs  sight. 

“To  serve  humanity  is  to  serve  God.” 

Its  virtues  are  those  revealed  nineteen  hundred  years  ago  by  Jesus 
Christ. 

It  is  not  a new  Faith  but  Faith  renewed:  Not  a new  Light  but 
Light  restored.  It  is  Truth,  rescued  from  the  scaffold,  and  placed 
upon  its  throne. 

Its  one  Key-note  is  “the  Fatherhood  of  God  and  the  brotherhood 
of  man.” 

The  Sacred  Manuscript  of  the  ages — the  Bible — with  the  Search- 
light of  this  Message  turned  upon  its  pages,  is  crowned  with  the 
all-illuminating  Beauty  of  God,  and  becomes  our  guide  to  this  Revel- 
ation. 

What  is  this  Revelation? 

In  profane  history,  in  magazine,  in  current  literature,  and  in 
encyclopedia,  it  is  variously  represented  and  misrepresented;  but  in  one 
of  the  newest  books  upon  great  religions  of  the  world  it  has  been 
included  as  one,  and,  the  latest  religion. 

Because  the  Bab  heralded  this  Day-break  of  Splendor,  those 
who  are  not  clearly  informed  call  it  Babism. 

Whenever  religion  goes  down  and  irreligion  prevails,  God 
chooses  One,  who  shall  come  according  to  the  laws  of  the  flesh,  and 
through  whom  He  will  manifest  Himself,  to  restore  religion  again, 
and  thus  to  found  what  is  called  “A  New  Dispensation” — Impossible 
to  found  a New  Dispensation  without  a New  Revelation  and  a New 
Law. 

Whenever  the  Divine  Word  incarnates  it  is  known  by  its  Mani- 
festation, and  man  understands  and  knows  it  only  when  spoken 
through  One  Whom  He  sends: 

“Also  man  understands  that  Word  only  so  far  as  his  purity  and 
sincerity  permit.” 

While  God’s  Spirit  never  leaves  the  earth  and  has  always  per- 
vaded it  since  first,  "in  the  beginning”  it  brooded  upon  the  waters, 


16 


yet  the  Word,  at  intervals,  manifests  in  a human  temple  to  restore 
Light  and  to  establish  a new  heaven  and  earth. 

Revelation,  as  all  in  this  age  of  intelligence  fully  realize,  is 
progressive. 

The  prophets  were  the  simple  messengers  of  God.  That  was 
the  cycle  of  prophethood.  Jesus  Christ  was  the  Son  of  God.  His 
was  the  cycle  of  Sonship. 

Mohammed  was  the  Seal  of  all  prophetic  revelation,  whether 
through  Israelitish  prophet,  or  through  Jesus;  therefore  Mohammed’s 
was  a special  mission. 

This  is  the  age  of  the  Fatherhood  of  God. 

Jesus  Christ  taught  this  progression  in  Revelation  in  the  parable  of 
the  Lord  of  the  Vineyard.  Four  parties  are  chronicled  in  this  parable; 
the  Lord  of  the  Vineyard ; the  dishonest  husbandman ; the  servants,  or 
prophets;  the  Son  of  the  Lord  of  the  Vineyard.  At  the  close  of  the 
cycle  the  Lord  of  the  Vineyard  is,  Himself,  to  return  and  re-establish 
Truth.  The  Lord  of  Hosts  is  His  Name. 

Mohammed’s  Mission  will  be  explained  later.  Suffice  it  to  state  that 
this  is  not  a Mohammedan  sect,  for  the  Mohammedans  are  its  chief 
persecutors.  This  fact  speaks  for  itself. 

In  the  progress  of  Revelation  the  time  has  come  when  the  signs 
of  the  Dawn  of  a New  Dispensation  are  appearing  upon  the  earth ; 
when  the  times  are  being  fulfilled.  All  hearts  who  hunger  for  the 
Light  are  watching  with  great  earnestness  the  rapid  evolution  of 
these  signs  as  laid  down  by  the  prophetic  sacred  Books  of  the  entire 
earth.  The  world  is  looking  for  the  Promised  One  to  bring  new  con- 
ditions and  to  restore  that  Light. 

A DAY  STAR  has  again  appeared  in  the  east.  In  its  Day, 
thousands,  gathered  out  of  every  nation,  religion  and  rank  in  life ; 
the  sage,  the  scientist,  the  philosopher,  and  the  babe  in  years ; the 
learned  and  the  ignorant;  the  Jew,  Mohammedan,  Christian,  Buddhist 
and  Zoroastrian;  the  Atheist  and  the  Agnostic;  the  Unitarian  and  the 
Trinitarian — all  are  walking,  as  little  children,  in  Its  Light,  worship- 
ping and  adoring  the  One  True  God. 

Is  this  a thing  at  which  to  scoff?  Offences  must  come,  but  woe 
unto  him  by  whom  they  come.  Even  scoffers  fulfil  prophecy. 

But  for  those  whose  spiritual  ears  are  hearing  the  sound  of  the 
trumpet  (which  is  the  Voice  of  the  Spirit)  ; whose  spiritual  eyes 
are  enlightened  to  behold  the  Beauty  of  this  arisen  DAY-STAR,  and 
to  understand  the  “brightness  of  its  coming;”  whose  spiritual  nostrils 
are  inhaling  “the  Holy  Fragrance  from  that  White  Spot,”  which  is 
perfuming  all  regions ; whose  dry  bones  are  being  clothed  anew  by 
the  recreative  power  of  that  Word — unto  these  the  Feast  is  “great 
and  great.” 

For  the  Gates  of  the  boundless  Kingdom  are  opened,  night  is 
turning  into  Day,  and  the  veil  of  ignorance  is  being  removed  from 
off  the  face  of  the  earth. 

The  Revelation  of  Baha’-Ullah  covers  half  a century. 

In  the  year  1817,  two  years  before  the  birth  of  the  Bab,  a Son 
was  born  in  Nur,  near  Teheran,  Persia.  Nur  itself  means  Light. 

He  was  of  ancient  royal  lineage,  a son  of  an  ex-vizier. 


17 


From  His  youth  He  was  held  in  regard  and  honor  by  even  the 
wise,  and  although  uneducated,  whenever  He  appeared  in  any  assem- 
blies, where  questions  of  divinity  and  points  of  metaphysics  were 
being  discussed  by  the  learned  and  scholarly,  those  present  would 
receive  proofs  of  His  discernment  and  wisdom  so  far  beyond  the 
natural  limitation  of  the  human  race  that  they  were  astonished  at 
His  utterances. 

He  spoke  as  one  having  authority. 

As  time  passed,  the  influence  of  these  utterances  began  so  to 
pervade  the  minds  of  His  hearers,  that  a great  number,  both  of  the 
wealthy  and  the  lowly,  the  erudite  and  the  ignorant,  became  enkindled 
and  gave  up  all  to  follow,  with  joy,  His  teachings. 

The  wisest  found  themselves  as  nothing  before  Him,  and  upon 
the  other  hand,  even  the  little  children  understood  and  followed  Him, 
and  toward  these  tender  lambs  of  the  fold  He  was  most  loving. 

The  divines  of  the  region  of  Nur  sent  two  of  their  most  dis- 
tinguished representatives  to  Him,  to  subdue,  by  force  of  argument, 
the  fire  of  His  words,  but  so  did  those  words  move  their  hearts  that 
they,  too,  abandoned  altar,  chair,  preferment,  wealth  and  renown, 
and  went  out  proclaiming  the  Cause. 

As  time  passed  on,  thousands  of  the  most  spiritually  illuminated, 
the  most  intellectually  developed  and  reasoning,  accepted  His  Rev- 
elation ; and  thus  were  forged  the  first  golden  links  in  this  chain  of 
a Faith  now  encircling  the  world. 

Like  Abraham  of  old,  He  established,  in  the  process  of  time, 
His  Holy  Household;  type  of  the  great  household  of  humanity,  whose 
Keeper  is  the  One,  Who,  watching  over  Israel,  slumbers  not  nor  sleeps. 
Baha’-Ullah  has  unsealed  the  sacred  Manuscripts  of  the  world,  and  has 
revealed  many  Holy  Books  which  contain  the  Mysteries  of  God.  Yet, 
like  Jesus  of  old,  He  was  never  educated,  and,  like  Him,  He  knew  all 
things,  and  needed  not  that  any  man  should  teach  Him.  To  this  bear 
witness  the  most  learned  of  His  countrymen. 

The  hearts  of  the  followers  of  that  great  herald,  the  Bab,  after 
his  martyrdom,  began  to  turn  toward  Baha’-Ullah.  He  was  recognized 
by  all  as  the  Centre,  but  not  the  declared  Centre.  Nine  years  after 
the  Bab  had  declared  Him  to  the  world,  Baha’-Ullah  declared  Him- 
self to  a few  of  his  disciples.  The  renewal  of  this  Light,  and  with 
more  powerful  manifestation  than  ever  before,  rekindled  the  fires  of 
persecution  to  such  an  extent,  that,  under  the  pressure,  a few  of  the 
Babis,  who  were  yet  babes  in  the  realities  of  non-resistance  and  meek- 
ness, and  wearied  with  cruelty  and  injustice,  plotted  to  take  the  life 
of  the  Shah,  and  this  resulted  in  the  open  destruction  of  many  of 
them.  Baha’-Ullah,  who,  although  able  to  dominate  all  law,  yet,  because 
He  was  the  Burden-bearer  for  all,  had  become  subject  to  all  law, 
sought  the  summer  court  of  the  Shah,  and  gave  Himself  up,  to  show 
how  great  was  His  horror  and  grief  for  such  an  act.  But  the  Moham- 
medans, bitterly  prejudiced  through  feeling,  temperament  and  relig- 
ion, against  the  Babis,  confined  this  Holy  One  in  a dungeon  in 
Teheran  for  months.  He  was  chained  together  with  a number  of 
others,  and  in  whatever  movement  one  of  them  made,  the  remainder 
were  compelled  to  participate.  So  that  not  only  dungeon  and  chains, 
but  also,  unrest,  was  His  portion. 


18 


From  thence  He  was  exiled  to  Bagdad.  In  this  exile,  now  be- 
gun, He  fulfilled  prophecy,  for  He  was  never  subject  to  an  earthly 
potentate.  With  His  Holy  Household  He  was  removed  thither,  and 
for  eleven  years  He  remained  in  and  around  Bagdad.  Bagdad  is  in 
Turkey  in  Asia.  Through  it  run  the  Euphrates  and  Tigris  rivers. 
It  is  also  a part  of  Mesopotamia. 

Behold,  “Who  is  this  that  cometh  from  Edom,  with  dyed  gar- 
ments from  Bozrah?  This  that  is  glorious  in  His  apparel,  travelling 
in  the  greatness  of  His  strength?  I that  speak  in  righteousness, 
mighty  to  save.”  Isa.  63:1. 

Edom  and  Bozrah  are  significant  words. 

The  descendants  of  Ishmael  and  of  Esau,  as  is  well  known,  are 
Mohammedans.  Obadiah  will  furnish  you  with  light  upon  their 
future.  And  “saviours”  are  to  appear.  (Verse  21.) 

Of  the  eleven  years  which  followed  Baha’-Ullah’s  exile  to  Bagdad 
a greater  portion  were  spent  by  Him  alone,  among  the  Irak  moun- 
tains of  that  district,  His  Holy  family  being  in  the  town. 

These  years  were  spent  in  meditation  and  in  prayer.  When  His 
power  became  known  in  one  place  He  would  remove  to  another. 
Through  this  time  He  lived  like  a hermit,  on  a little  rice.  While  He 
was  at  Bagdad  the  sheiks  of  that  place  invited  the  sheiks  of  Persia 
to  meet  with  them  and  discuss  some  means  by  which  they  could 
face  Baha’-Ullah  and  confound  His  words,  which,  they  all  witnessed, 
were  “like  a rolling  ocean  so  that  naught  could  withstand  them.” 

They  decided  to  demand  of  Him  a miracle. 

One  of  the  sheiks  was  appointed  to  seek  Him  and  make  this 
request  of  Him.  The  sheik  entered  His  Presence,  and,  listening  to 
His  words,  himself  believed,  and  asked  of  Baha-Ullah,  “What  shall 
I go  and  say  to  them?”  Baha’-Ullah  instructed  him  to  tell  them  to 
select  any  miracle  which  they  desired  and  He  would  perform  the 
same.  He  returned  to  them  with  this  message  and  also  with  the 
report  of  the  wonderful  wisdom  of  Baha’-Ullah,  saying,  “It  is  of 
God.”  The  sheiks  began  to  discuss  what  miracle  they  would  demand 
of  Him,  and  fell  into  disagreement,  and  the  assembly  broke  up  without 
sending  Him  any  further  message.  And  this  was  the  greatest  miracle 
of  all. 

The  most  learned  one  of  the  sheiks  (and  their  authority  upon  all 
important  points),  met  with  them,  but,  when  he  learned  the  purport 
of  their  assembling  he  refused  to  be  a party  to  it,  stating  that  he 
honored  Baha’-Ullah,  and  left  them.  He  then  wrote  to  Baha’-Ullah 
asking  His  forgiveness  and  also  begging  Him  to  forgive  “those  wolves 
who  were  persecuting  Him.” 

At  one  time  a thousand  Mohammedan  divines  came  to  argue  with 
Him  and  He  defeated  them  all. 

In  the  spring  of  1863  Baha’-Ullah  was  removed  from  Bagdad  to 
Constantinople,  at  which  latter  place  He  was  treated  with  great 
respect,  and  where  He  remained  four  or  five  months. 

Before  he  left  Bagdad — in  1863 — nineteen  years  after  the  Bab’s 
declaration,  He  declared  Himself  openly,  sojourning  for  twelve  days 
in  a beautiful  garden  there,  called  “Rizwan.”  By  this  Most  Great 
Spirit’s  Appearing,  the  whole  world  attains  a new  life.  The  whole 
material  world  is  quickened  through  the  birth  of  His  Human  Form, 


19 


and  the  Spiritual  Realms  through  His  Divine  Appearance,  or  Spiritual 
Manifestation.  From  this  Most  Great  Annunciation  went  forth  the 
Breezes  which  have  vitalized  the  life  of  the  Universe. 

After  the  temporary  sojourn  in  Constantinople,  again,  the  Gov- 
ernment exiled  Him  to  Adrianople,  which  lies  in  Turkey  in  Europe, 
inland  and  northwest  of  Constantinople.  This  removal  occurred 
during  the  latter  part  of  the  same  year  of  1863.  And  at  that  time, 
and  there,  again,  this  Blessed  One  declared  to  the  earth  that  He 
was  its  Promised  Deliverer.  From  that  spot  between  the  years  1863 
and  1869  He  continued  His  great  work  of  founding  the  New  Day, 
the  Sun  of  which,  amid  bloodshed  and  martyrdom,  was  arising  upon 
the  world.  He  sent  to  all  the  rulers,  and  great  ones  of  the  earth 
the  Announcement  of  His  Perfect  Presence,  declaring  that  “for  the 
sake  of  His  Eternal  Love  to  His  creatures  He  had  turned  His  foot- 
steps from  the  invisible  to  the  visible  world,  and  veiled  His  Splendor 
in  the  body  of  the  dust,”  and  that  the  Way  unto  the  opened  Gates 
of  the  Kingdom  of  God  was  prepared  for  whosoever  would  walk  therein. 
The  prophecy  of  this  great  Invitation  is  found  in  St.  Luke  14th  Chapter, 
beginning  with  the  16th  verse.  “And  they  all  began  with  one  consent 
to  make  excuse.”  These  Tablets,  revealed  at  this  time,  are  now  mat- 
ters of  history. 

He  sent  these  Tablets  to  the  Czar,  to  the  Pope,  to  the  Emperor 
of  Germany,  to  Napoleon  3rd  of  France,  to  England’s  Queen,  and  to 
others. 

Upon  reading  the  Tablet  revealed  to  her,  Queen  Victoria  said: 
“If  this  is  of  God  it  will  stand;  and  if  not  there  is  no  harm  done.” 

The  Czar  sent  one  of  his  nobility  to  investigate  the  source  of  the 
Tablet  received  by  him,  and  this  messenger  returned  with  such  im- 
pressive accounts  of  his  mission  that  the  Czar  became  stirred  with 
visions  of  the  “Most  Great  Peace.” 

The  Pope  received  the  message  with  scorn,  and  a second  Tablet 
was  sent,  warning  him  that  because  of  his  act  his  temporal  power 
would  soon  be  taken  from  him.  In  1870  the  Franco-German  war 
broke  out,  the  French  troops  were  withdrawn  from  Rome,  King 
Emanuel  walked  in  with  his  soldiers  and  made  the  Pope  a virtual 
prisoner  in  the  Vatican. 

Frederick  3rd,  then  Crown  Prince  of  Germany,  during  a pilgrim- 
age to  Syria,  ignored  Acca  (the  Holy  City)  and  the  “Great  Invita- 
tion,” and  for  this  he  was  warned  in  a message  from  Baha’-Ullah  that 
he  should  never  rule  his  country.  He  was  crowned  on  his  sick  bed  and 
died  three  months  later  without  having  actually  ruled  Germany  a single 
day. 

Baha’-Ullah  revealed,  in  a Tablet  to  this  sovereign  the  following, 
concerning  his  empire:  “O  banks  of  the  river  Rhine!  We  have  seen 

ye  drenched  in  gore,  because  the  swords  of  retribution  were  drawn  against 
ye ; and  ye  shall  have  another  trouble.  And  we  hear  the  lamentation  of 
Berlin,  though  it  be  today  in  manifest  glory.” 

He  revealed  to  a prominent  Turk  (named  Rais)  the  following 
Tablet.  “The  Land  of  Mystery  (Adrianople)  and  what  is  beside  it 
will  be  changed,  and  shall  pass  out  of  the  hands  of  Turkey,  and  com- 
motions shall  appear,  and  lamentations  shall  arise,  and  trouble  shall 
become  manifest  on  all  sides.” 


20 


He  also  uttered  the  following  judgment  upon  Turkey  (person- 
ified in  Constantinople.)  “O  Point ! which  liest  on  the  shore  of  two 
seas;  the  throne  of  injustice  hath  been  fixed  in  thee.  * * * Thou 
shalt  perish — and  those  peoples  that  are  within  thee  shall  lament.” 

The  messengers  who  conveyed  the  Tablet  to  Egypt  were  made 
prisoners  and  sent  into  exile  and  the  Tablet  was  ignored. 

Baha’-Ullah  predicted  the  downfall  of  the  Khedive  (Ismail 
Pasha)  and  that  these  messengers,  in  a short  while,  would  be  re- 
leased, and  would  stand  in  the  Presence  of  their  beloved  Master. 

General  Gordon  soon  after,  in  his  political  campaign  in  Egypt, 
released  those  men  and  gave  them  permission  to  return  home,  and 
the  events  connected  with  the  downfall  of  the  Khedive  at  that  time 
are  the  property  of  history. 

Napoleon  3rd  read  the  Tablet  addressed  to  him  and  threw  it 
away,  saying  “If  He  is  God  I am  two  gods.”  Baha’-Ullah  addressed 
to  him  a second  Tablet  containing  the  following:  “Because  of  what 

thou  hast  done,  affairs  shall  be  changed  in  thy  kingdom,  and  thy 
Empire  shall  depart  from  thine  hands  as  a punishment  for  thine 
actions.  Then  shalt  thou  find  thyself  in  manifest  loss,  and  commo- 
tion shall  seize  the  people  there,  unless  thou  arisest  to  assist  in  this 
matter,  and  followest  the  Spirit  in  this  straight  way.  Thy  glory 
hath  made  thee  proud.  By  My  Life,  verily,  it  shall  not  endure,  but 
shall  pass  away,  unless  thou  takest  hold  of  this  firm  Rope.  We  have 
seen  humiliation  hastening  after  thee  while  thou  art  of  those  that 
sleep.” 

That  Tablet  is  a sufficient  proof.  It  was  revealed  when  Napo- 
leon was  so  powerful  that  he  said,  “On  this  globe  I am  the  one  God.” 
In  such  a time  was  this  Tablet  written.  The  world  knows  the  down- 
fall of  Napoleon  3rd,  of  his  dethronement,  his  exile,  and  his  death. 

Baha’-  Ullah  sent  a Tablet  to  the  Shah  of  Persia  at  a later  period 
(from  Acca).  A youth  bore  it,  travelling  on  foot  to  Teheran  and 
gave  it  to  the  Shah  as  the  latter  rode  through  the  streets.  He  gave 
it,  not  as  a petition,  but  as  a command  sent  to  him,  saying,  “A  com- 
mand from  One  whose  authority  is  higher  than  yours.”  The  Shah 
learned  the  authorship  and  contents  of  the  letter,  but  the  young  mes- 
senger, Badi,  (“the  Wonderful”)  was  branded  to  death  with  red  hot 
bricks.  When  the  executionerswere  liftingthese  redhotbrickswith  iron 
tongs  to  put  them  upon  his  body  he  declared  that  he  welcomed  this  mar- 
tyrdom, and  seized  them  with  his  own  hands  and  applied  them  to  his 
bosom.  This  j^outh,  knowing  that  his  life  might  thus  be  sacrificed,  had 
sought  the  privilege  of  being  the  bearer  of  this  Tablet  from  his  Beloved. 

Teheran,  Baha  Ullah  blessed  and  promised  that  justice  should  reign 
therein. 

During  the  close  of  1868,  the  Perfect  One  was  exiled  from 
Adrianople  to  Acca,  and  there  placed  under  the  “Most  Great  Im- 
prisonment” for  nine  years,  two  of  these  being  in  the  prison  proper, 
in  that  city,  and  seven  under  close  guard  in  another  building. 
While  He  was  under  this  confinement,  pilgrims  from  Persia  and  India 
would  walk  from  their  native  towns  and  provinces  to  see  Him,  these 
pilgrimages  sometimes  covering  six  and  seven  months,  and  under  all 
the  vicissitudes  of  weather:  and  arriving,  footsore  and  weary,  would 
linger  outside  of  those  prison  walls,  until  they  received  just  one  look 


21 


from  their  Beloved,  from  the  window  of  His  cell,  and  then  returned 
home,  their  hearts  forever  refreshed  by  that  Light.  Baha’-Ullah  said 
that  even  though  they  confined  Him  in  a dungeon  they  would  find 
Him  riding  upon  the  clouds  of  heaven ; and  so  it  was. 

In  being  the  Cup-bearer  of  this  Great  Message  that  Cup  is  so 
filled  with  gems  that  there  is  an  embarrassment  in  selecting  what 
first  to  share.  After  realization  of  its  priceless  contents  once  takes 
possession  of  the  soul  of  man,  that  soul  becomes  athirst  to  “renew 
the  Cup”  forever  and  ever. 

As  to  miracles  from  this  Holy  Source  there  are  no  limits;  and 
they  are  greater  than  any  that  ever  before  existed.  But  these  are 
never  the  highest,  or  the  most  conclusive,  evidence.  They  are  only 
a demonstration  for  those  who  witness  them.  The  penetration  and 
power  of  the  Word  to  change  the  heart  of  ntan,  turning  it  to  God  to 
such  a degree  as  to  render  it  indifferent  to  all  lesser  attractions,  is 
the  unanswerable  proof. 

The  Mohammedans  once  cursed  the  Christian,  but  through  this 
Revelation  they  have  learned  to  revere  and  honor  Jesus  Christ  as  the 
Son  of  God,  and  understand  and  believe  our  Bible  quite  as  well  as 
we  do,  and  are  able  to  teach  this  Truth  from  its  pages. 

And  now,  one  word,  about  Mohammed’s  mission.  His  Manifes- 
tation and  prophetic  utterances  had  prepared  the  way  for  the  com- 
ing of  the  One  in  Whom  is  Perfection — Baha’-Ullah.  And  by  Moham- 
med’s texts  alone  do  his  followers  believe  this  Great  and  Holy  Real- 
ity, and  then  learn  to  look  upon  the  inhabitants  of  the  world  as  their 
brethren.  The  Father’s  Name  is  written  in  the  forehead  of  every 
Mohammedan  who  believes  in  the  reality  of  Mohammed’s  teachings, 
and  who,  thus,  forsakes  its  present  corruptions,  and  declares  for  the 
Light  of  God  as  Manifested  in  this  Great  Day.  Was  Mohammed’s 
mission  for  naught?  And  this  Light  of  God,  shining  for  all  the  world 
is  the  only  Light  which  will  lift  the  Orient  out  of  moral  degradation 
and  spiritual  ignorance  and  rescue  it  from  eternal  loss. 

After  Baha’-Ullah,  with  His  Holy  Household,  endured,  for  nine 
years,  the  extremes  of  hardship  and  persecution  in  the  prison  of  Acca, 
and  when  they  “could  find  no  fault  in  Him,”  by  the  power  of  God,  the 
guarding  doors  were  thrown  open,  and  once  more  He  was  but  an  exile. 
For  fourteen  years  He  abode  in  the  suburbs  of  Acca.  Acca  is  a Turkish 
prison-city,  on  the  coast  of  Syria,  and  used  for  the  incarceration  of 
convicts.  Those  representatives,  who,  by  command  of  the  Sultan  and 
the  Shah,  met  to  consult  as  to  how  this  Mysterious  Power  in  their  midst 
could  be  curbed,  decided  that,  owing  to  its  unhygienic  conditions,  this 
place  would  soon  end  His  life.  Those  representatives,  by  whose  word 
He  was  brought  there,  themselves  died  in  a few  months.  And  for  Him 
the  desert  blossomed  as  a rose. 

Thus  He  laid  the  glorious  foundations  of  the  Faith,  in  His  forty 
years  Manifestation  and  wanderings  (or  thereabout).  Nineteen 
years  ere  His  departure  He  revealed  a New  Testament  declaring  His 
Son, Abbas  Effendi  to  be  His  Successor.  And  then,  amid  the  heart- 
break of  His  followers,  Pie  left  the  temple  of  the  Body  and  ascended 
to  the  Heaven  from  whence  lie  came. 

“Come  let  us  reason  together.” 


22 


“As  to  the  question  of  the  Trinity,  know,  O advancer  unto  God, 
that  in  each  one  of  the  cycles  or  prophetic  dispensations  wherein  the 
Lights  have  shone  forth  upon  the  horizons,  and  the  Forgiving  Lord 
hath  revealed  Himself  on  Mt.  Paran  or  Mt.  Sinai,  or  Mt.  Seir,  there 
were  necessarily  three  things:  The  Giver  of  the  Grace;  the  Grace; 
and  the  Recipient  of  the  Grace. 

The  Source  of  the  Effulgence;  the  Effulgence;  and  the  Re- 
cipient of  the  Effulgence. 

The  Illuminator;  the  Illumination;  and  the  Illuminated  One. 
******* 

Look  at  the  sun  and  its  rays,  and  the  heat  which  results  from  its 
rays. 

The  rays  and  the  heat  are  but  two  effects  of  the  sun,  but  insep- 
arable from  it  and  sent  out  from  it.  Yet  is  the  sun  ONE  in  its 
essence;  unique  in  its  identity;  single  in  its  attributes;  nor  is  it 
possible  that  anything  should  resemble  it. 

Such  is  the  Essence  of  the  Truth  concerning  the  Unity;  the  real 
doctrine  of  Singleness;  the  undiluted  Reality  as  to  the  Divine 
Sanctity.” 

If  burnished  mirrors  are  placed  opposite  to  the  sun,  and  facing  it, 
those  rays  from  the  sun  will  be  received  in  those  mirrors,  and  will  be 
reflected  out  from  them.  These  mirrors  may  be  of  different  sizes  and 
of  different  degrees  of  burnished  surfaces.  Yet  do  they  all  receive 
the  same  light.  The  mirrors  are  many,  the  light  is  One.  Such  is  the 
Reality  of  the  Incarnation  of  the  Word. 


Through  the  persecutions  of  the  Moslems  over  fifty  thousand 
Bahais  have  been  driven  forth  over  the  world. 

One  thousand  babes  of  the  believers  have  been  killed  by  the  Mos- 
lems. 

More  than  twenty  thousand  lives  have  been  martyred  in  the 
Cause. 

One-third  of  the  Faithful  are  converted  Moslems,  and  the  remainder 
are  gathered  out  of  every  nation. 

“This  is  a Day  in  which  every  sweet  odor  is  scented  by  the 
Fragrance  of  My  Garment,  the  perfume  of  which  is  emitted  among 
the  creatures. 

This  is  a Day  in  which  the  sea  of  Life  is  Abounding  with  Bounty 
from  the  Will  of  the  Clement  One. 

Hasten  ye  and  come  ye  forth,  O Supreme  Concourse,  with  your 
hearts  and  souls!  (Say):  This  is  the  Dawning-Place  of  the  Hidden, 
Unknowable  One ; were  ye  of  the  knowing.  And  this  is  the  Day- 
spring of  the  Unseen  Treasury,  were  ye  to  betake  yourselves  to  Him.” 


The  proofs  of  a false  Christ  are  these: 

His  influence  is  within  a limited  circle  and  for  a limited  period; 
he  looks  to  notoriety,  and  perhaps  to  money,  and  he  declares : “I  am 
the  Christ! ” 

The  proofs  of  a true  Revelator  are  the  following;  and  in  the 
light  of  reason  the  proofs  are  infallible. 


23 


First,  He  must  come  according  to  the  signs  given  by  the  previous 
Revelator. 

Second,  He  must  declare  Himself. 

Third,  He  must  declare  Himself  with  such  persistency  as  to  be 
willing  to  be  cut  into  a thousand  pieces  for  the  sake  of  Faithfulness. 

Fourth,  He  must  have  the  knowledge  and  power  of  the  finer  laws 
of  nature,  such  as  healing,  etc. 

Fifth,  He  must  have  the  prophet’s  power  of  Revelation,  foretelling 
events,  etc. 

Sixth,  since  He  comes  not  for  the  things  of  earth,  all  the  things 
of  earth  fall  from  Him,  and  He  is  despised  and  rejected  of  men. 

Seventh,  His  word  must  have  the  power  to  penetrate  and  change 
the  hearts  of  mankind. 

In  Baha’-Ullah  every  sign  has  been  fulfilled;  and  by  the  witness 
of  their  own  Sacred  Manuscripts  He  has  become  the  Messiah  of  the 
Jews;  the  Aurora,  in  their  expected  trinity  of  Revelators,  of  the  Zoroas- 
trians ; the  returned  Buddha  of  the  Buddhists. 

He  is  our  Tree  of  Life;  the  Father  whom  Jesus  Christ  promised; 
and  the  Spirit  of  All-Truth. 

We  are  on  the  verge  of  great  tribulations,  but  the  Throne  is  occu- 
pied and  we  shall  attain  the  Day  of  the  Universal  Peace.  We  shall 
gain  the  victory  through  the  weapon  of  Love.  The  Blessed  Perfec- 
tion, Baha’-Ullah,  said, “Were  it  not  for  the  religion  I would  appoint 
the  one  who  should  murder  Me  to  be  My  inheritor.” 

From  this  statement  we  can  conceive  the  station  of  the  saints  and 
martyrs  in  His  Cause. 

From  this  Heavenly  Table  none  who  hunger  or  thirst  are  turned 
away  unsatisfied.  Our  Promised  One  has  come  and  “the  Angel  of 
His  Presence”  has  saved  the  world  from  death. 


By  the  way  of  the  Sea,  on  the  shore  of  the  “tideless  Mediter- 
ranean,” lies  the  white  and  glistening  city  of  Acre.  Eight  or  nine 
miles  south  of  it,  as  one  circles  around  the  Bay  of  Acre,  passing 
through  the  Valley  of  Acre,  with  the  blue  sea  on  one  side  and  the 
low  chain  of  hills  on  the  other,  lies  Mt.  Carmel,  on  the  southern  point 
of  the  bay,  the  town  of  Acre  being  on  its  northern  point.  This  chain 
of  hills  is  the  remnant  of  the  Lebanon  mountains,  which  rise  much 
higher  as  they  extend  northward,  but  which  are  never  very  lofty. 

We  are  in  the  midst  of  Bible  prophecy.  Just  beyond  those  low 
hills  lie  the  lands  of  Zebulun  and  Naphtali.  Referring  to  the  9th 
chapter  of  Isaiah  we  find  that  the  people  that  walked  in  darkness 
have  seen  a great  Light  by  the  way  of  the  sea  beyond  Jordan  in  Gali- 
lee of  the  nations.  Naphtali  lies  a little  to  the  east  and  north  of  the 
city  of  Acre,  and  Zebulun,  a little  to  the  east  and  south  of  Mt.  Car- 
mel. Sharon  lies  along  the  “tideless  sea,”  south  of  and  making  up  to 
Mt.  Carmel.  In  Isaiah,  35th  chapter,  first  two  verses,  we  find  the  fol- 
lowing, “The  wilderness  and  the  solitary  place  shall  be  glad  for  them ; 
and  the  desert  shall  rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose.  It  shall  blossom 
abundantly,  and  rejoice  even  with  joy  and  singing:  the  glory  of 
Lebanon  shall  be  given  unto  it,  the  excellency  of  Carmel  and  Sharon, 
they  shall  see  the  Glory  of  the  Lord  and  the  excellency  of  our  God.” 
In  Hosea,  second  chapter  and  15th  verse:  “And  I will  give  her  her 
vineyards  thence,  and  the  Valley  of  Achor  for  a door  of  hope.” 

24 


In  Isaiah,  65:10,  it  is  said  that  “Sharon  shall  be  a fold  of  flocks 
and  the  valley  of  Achor  a place  for  the  herds  to  lie  down  in,  for  my 
people  that  have  sought  me.” 

Where  are  all  of  these  places?  They  centralize  about  Akka,  on  the 
bay  of  Akka.  (Akka  is  variously  spelled  on  the  different  maps.)  If 
this  is  not  fulfilled  prophecy,  then  there  is  some  mistake  in  prophecy 
itself. 

Within  the  walls  of  the  city  abides  One  upon  whom  the 
thoughts  of  the  world  are  centering;  some  consciously,  and  others 
unconsciously.  A preparation  is  going  on  in  all  hearts.  The  vibra- 
tions from  this  great  Centre  are  quickening  and  vitalizing  all  intel- 
lectual forces  and  spiritual  powers. 

Having  made  a great  and  holy  Pilgrimage  to  that  city  of  spiritual 
Light,  Love,  Joy  and  Peace,  it  is  my  privilege  to  bear  the  Fragrance  of 
its  blessed  Consummation  unto  all. 

I have  seen  the  King  in  His  Beauty.  I have  realized  his  Spir- 
itual Glory.  I understand  how  He  has  returned  as  silently  as  a thief 
in  this  night  of  spiritual  darkness,  and  without  observation ; and 
that  this  One  who  has  appeared  is  the  Greatest  Branch  from  the 
Tree  of  Life — the  Branch  of  whom  Isaiah,  Jeremiah,  Hosea  and  Zech- 
ariah  have  prophesied : that  the  Son  who  was  to  return  and  renew 
the  cup  in  the  Kingdom  of  God  has  kept  His  Covenant  with  11s : that 
He  is  the  “Centre  of  the  Covenant:”  that  the  Master  is  here,  and  we 
need  not  look  for  another.  And  I understand  much  more  than  this. 

He  calls  Himself — “Abdul-Baha,”  which  means  “the  Servant  of 
God.”  He  declares  to  all  the  earth  that  He  has  no  position  or  grade 
save  this;  that  He  knows  no  station  save  that  of  “servitude,  humility, 
lowliness,”  to  the  beloved  of  El-Baha’  that  He  has  clad  Himself  in  the 
mantle  and  crowned  Himself  with  the  crown  of  absolute  servitude  to 
the  Beauty  of  ABHA ; that  this  is  His  crown  in  the  earthly  and  in  the 
heavenly  Kingdom. 

Recognition  of  this  Station  is  the  Life  of  every  soul.  This  is  the 
“Shadow  of  the  Word  of  Oneness,”  under  which  all  the  beloved  of 
ABHA  must  abide.  “This  is  not  servitude  but  sovereignty.”  “This  is 
the  Garment  of  Everlasting  Glory”  and  “the  Rose  of  Eternal  Exaltation.” 

Jesus  said : “Whosoever  will  be  great  among  you,  shall  be  your 

minister;  And  whosoever  of  you  will  be  the  chiefest,  shall  be  servant 
of  all.”  St.  Mark,  10:  43-44.  The  Diadem  of  Servitude  is  the  Diadem 
of  Beauty  and  of  Light. 

In  the  Holy  Hands  of  Abdul-Baha’  is  the  Revelation  of  Baha’- 
Ullah’. 

His  is  the  trust  of  delivering  that  Revelation  to  the  earth,  and  of 
building  the  Temple  of  the  New  Jerusalem. 

In  the  presence  of  this  exaltation  of  the  fulfilled  Covenant  in 
Manifestation  the  world  is  asleep.  Just  so  it  was  nineteen  hundred 
years  ago.  God’s  Messenger  then  was  slandered  and  abused,  and 
His  foes  were  those  of  His  own  household,  for  His  own  received 
Him  not ; and  so  it  will  be  in  these  days.  But  now,  as  then,  “My 
Sheep  hear  My  Voice.” 

The  Station  of  this  Day  is  beyond  all  that  which  hath  ever  pre- 
ceded it.  Therefore  know  its  Greatness. 


25 


“Surely  He  hath  shown  forth  from  the  Orient  and  His  Signs 
have  appeared  in  the  Occident!  Awake  by  the  Breezes  of  God! 
Verily  they  have  blown  in  the  world!  Blessed  is  whoever  hath  found 
their  Fragrance,  and  is  of  the  assured.” 

It  is  for  each  one  to  investigate  this  Truth.  For  the  sake  of 
your  soul  beware  how  you  oppose  it.  There  is  no  middle  ground. 

The  responsibility  rests  upon  the  possessor  of  this  Divine  Knowl- 
edge until  he  offers  it  to  others,  and  then  the  responsibility  rests  upon 
those  to  whom  it  is  offered. 

Prayer  will  show  you  the  Truth.  THIS  IS  THE  TRUTH. 

“The  Beloved  hath  gone  down  into  the  Garden  to  gather  lilies.” 


LESSON  4— PROOFS  OF  THE  REVELATION  OF 
BAHA’-ULLAH’. 

The  Bible  is  threefold  in  the  character  of  its  contents.  1st,  its 
books  of  history;  2nd,  its  records  of  laws  and  ordinances;  3rd,  its 
books  of  prophecy.  It  is  with  the  third  division  of  its  contents  that 
we  have  principally  to  do,  in  this  period  of  their  fulfilment.  Let  us 
first  turn  to  its  earlier  register.  In  Gen.,  15:5,  God  promised  a great 
posterity  to  Abraham. 

Abraham  had  two  sons,  his  first  bom,  Ishmael,  being  the  son  of 
Hagar,  whom  the  angel  of  the  Lord  (Gen.,  16:12)  declared  would  be 
a wild  man,  and  his  hand  against  every  man,  and  every  man’s  hand 
against  him,  but  that  he  should  dwell  in  the  presence  of  all  his  brethren ; 
and  (Gen.,  17:20)  God  promised  that  twelve  princes  and  a great  nation 
should  be  born  from  him. 

With  Isaac,  the  second  son,  a covenant  was  to  be  established 
(Gen.,  17:21),  which  promise  was  later  fulfilled  (Gen.,  26:3-5). 

Through  the  influence  of  Sarah  (Isaac’s  mother)  Ishmael  and 
Hagar  became  outcasts  from  their  home,  and  these  wanderers  turned 
their  footsteps  to  the  wilderness  of  Paran,  where  they  dwelt,  and 
where  Ishmael  married  an  Egyptian  wife.  It  says  in  Gen.  21 :20, 
that  “God  was  with  the  lad.”  Both  Biblical  and  profane  historians 
coincide  in  the  belief  that  that  great  nation  promised  to  Ishmael  is  that 
of  Arabia;  for  his  descendants  peopled  the  northern  and  western 
parts  of  that  country,  and  eventually  formed  the  chief  element  of  the 
Arabian  nation.  See  also  Gen.  15:18. 

The  history  of  Abraham’s  second  son,  Isaac,  who  married  Rebekah, 
is  well  known.  He  had  two  sons,  Esau  and  Jacob.  Through  du- 
plicity Jacob  secured  both  Esau’s  birthright  and  blessing.  Yet  Isaac 
bestowed  the  following  benediction  upon  Esau,  as  found  in  Gen.  27 :2>9'A°- 
“Behold,  thy  dwelling  shall  be  the  fatness  of  the  earth  and  of  the  dew  of 
heaven  from  above ; and  by  thy  sword  shalt  thou  live  and  shalt  serve 
thy  brother,  and  it  shall  come  to  pass  when  thou  shalt  have  the  dominion 
(R.  V.  break  loose)  that  thou  shalt  break  his  yoke  from  off  thy  neck.” 

Esau  married  a daughter  of  Ishmael  (Gen.  28:9),  and  dwelt  in 
Mount  Seir.  Esau  is  Edom.  (Gen.,  36:8.)  Edom  is  a portion  of  north- 
western Arabia,  and  adjoining  Syria.  In  the  17th  century  it  was  over- 
come by  the  Arabs  and  has  since  shared  the  fortunes  of  Arabia.  Its 
capital  was  Bozrah. 


26 


The  Greek  form  of  Edom  is  Idumea.  The  maps  identify  Mount 
Seir  with  Edom. 

Biblical  commentators  have  repeatedly  asserted  that  Esau,  also, 
was  a thorough  Bedouin  and  son  of  the  desert. 

Unto  Isaac  was  born  Jacob,  and  unto  Jacob  were  born  twelve 
sons,  out  of  whom  were  to  come,  not  one  nation,  as  promised  to 
Ishmael,  but  many  nations  and  kings.  These  sons  were  the  heads  of 
the  twelve  tribes  of  Israel. 

From  both  Ishmael  and  Isaac  there  were  therefore  to  be  brought 
forth  twelve  promised  great  descendants. 

From  the  tribe  of  Judah,  by  lineal  descent,  David  the  king  was 
born,  and  later,  also  by  lineal  descent  from  him,  was  born  Matthat 
who.  according  to  Biblical  history,  was  the  common  grandfather  of 
Joseph  and  Mary. 

The  genealogical  records  found  in  St.  Matthew  and  St.  Luke, 
pertaining  to  the  ancestry  of  Jesus  Christ,  are  not  in  harmony,  but  the 
three  mentioned  facts  remain  uncorrupted.  Jesus  Christ  was  to  be 
of  the  seed  of  David,  and  his  kinsman,  “according  to  the  flesh,”  and 
as  such  He  was  recognized,  as  we  find  recorded  in  Romans,  1 :3. 

But  we  find  that  David  has,  also,  a spiritual  significance,  for  in 
the  noth  Psalm  we  read  a statement  made  by  the  king  concerning 
it.  Also  when  the  Pharisees  declared  to  Jesus  in  St.  Matt.,  22nd 
chap.,  that  Christ  was  the  Son  of  David,  Jesus  Himself  makes  the 
following  reply,  quoting  King  David’s  own  words  from  the  Psalm 
referred  to:  “How  then  doth  David  in  spirit  call  him  Lord,  saying, 
the  Lord  said  unto  my  Lord,  Sit  thou  on  my  right  hand  till  I make 
thine  enemies  thy  footstool.  If  David  then  call  him  Lord,  how  is  he 
his  son? 

And  no  man  was  able  to  answer  him  a word,  neither  durst  any 
man  from  that  day  forth  ask  him  any  more  questions.” 

David,  spiritually,  means  the  “Beloved;”  and  is  therefore  a sym- 
bol of  Divine  Love. 

In  Genesis,  49:10,  we  have  a prophecy  of  Jacob’s,  as  he  blessed  his 
twelve  sons.  He  said,  “The  sceptre  shall  not  depart  from  Judah,  nor  a 
lawgiver  from  between  his  feet,  until  Shiloh  come;  and  unto  him  shall 
the  gathering  of  the  people  be.”  This  has  been  said  to  refer  to  Jesus 
Christ.  But  Jesus  came  out  of  Judah,  and  the  Star  of  Bethlehem  did 
not  abrogate,  but  perfected  the  glory  of  Judah.  Only  a fragment  of 
the  people  gathered  to  Him. 

For  nineteen  hundred  years  the  world  has  paid  homage  to  the 
sceptre  of  the  Lion  of  the  tribe  of  Judah. 

When  the  days  are  fulfilled  it  will  depart.  (Gen.  49:1.) 

And  now  Shiloh  hath  come,  and  all  nations  are  flowing  unto 
Him. 

Isaiah,  as  already  quoted,  accurately  locates  the  place  from  which 
this  Light  shall  shine  unto  the  world ; by  the  way  of  the  sea,  out  of 
the  Rose-Garden  of  Akka. 

In  the  2nd  chapter  of  Daniel  we  find  the  King  Nebuchadnezzar 
had  a dream  of  an  image  which  is  formed  of  four  different  metals : 
the  head  of  gold,  the  breast  and  arms  of  silver,  the  belly  and  thighs 
of  brass,  the  legs  of  iron,  the  feet  part  of  iron  and  part  of  clay. 


27 


Daniel,  to  whom  God  gave  the  interpretation  of  this  dream,  ex- 
plained it  as  follows:  Nebuchadnezzar’s  kingdom  at  that  period  was 
in  a condition  of  strength  and  power  and  this  was  typified  by  the 
head  of  gold.  An  inferior  condition  of  the  kingdom  was  to  follow, 
symbolized  by  the  silver;  a third  one  of  brass  and  bearing  extensive 
rule;  a fourth  one  of  iron.  It  is  especially  in  connection  with  the 
end  and  subdivision  of  this  fourth  condition  that  a certain  great  event 
is  promised.  This  age  of  the  kingdom  is  to  be  of  iron  which  will  have 
the  power  of  subjugation  and  of  destruction.  It  is  to  be  divided  into 
two  limbs.  At  the  very  end  of  its  existence  it  will  break  into  many 
divisions  and  these  will  be  part  of  iron  and  part  of  clay.  It  is  a 
human  kingdom,  for  “they  are  to  mingle  with  mankind,  but  shall  not 
cleave  to  one  another,”  or  amalgamate;  for  although  they  are  the  out- 
growth of  preceding  conditions,  yet  they  are  opposed  to  each  other. 
At  this  period  “a  stone,  cut  out  without  hands,”  will  smite  the  image 
upon  his  feet  and  will  destroy  every  remnant  of  its  present  and  its 
former  conditions;  they  are  to  be  as  the  chaff  before  the  wind,  and 
the  stone  which  destroyed  them  is  to  be  the  kingdom  which  the  God 
of  Heaven  shall  set  up,  and  which  shall  stand  forever. 

The  Mohammedan  religion  combines  church  and  state  and  gov- 
erns both.  It  has  long  been  divided  into  two  branches,  the  Shiites  of 
Persia  and  the  Sunnites  of  Turkey.  In  the  latter  days  they  have 
subdivided  into  many  sects,  and  although  they  are  all  one  in  believ- 
ing in  Mohammed  as  their  prophet,  yet  they  will  not  intermarry  or 
intermingle  with  one  another.  This  Mohammedan  religion  forms  the 
limbs  and  feet  of  the  image.  The  Shiites  are  more  spiritual  than  the 
Sunnites,  and  therefore  are  stronger  in  the  eyes  of  God.  The  stone  is 
the  Everlasting  Kingdom  of  Baha’-Ullah.  God  has  founded  this 
kingdom. 

Jesus  Christ,  in  St.  Matt.,  24:15,  warns  us  that  the  closing  events 
of  His  Dispensation  will  come  to  pass  when  the  abomination  of  deso- 
lation shall  be  perfected.  This  refers  to  the  completion  of  the  degra- 
dation and  scattering  of  the  Jews;  which  has  attained  its  culmination 
and,  by  the  signs  of  their  Taurat,  they  know  that  their  day  of  desolation 
has  ended,  and  for  them  the  gates  of  the  Kingdom  have  opened. 

Mohammed  declared  himself  ten  years  prior  to  the  establishment 
of  Mohammedan  time,  which  began  622  A.  D. 

Mohammedan  and  Jewish  years  are  each  lunar,  and  are  each  354 
days  in  length.  The  Jewish  year  contains  six  months  of  thirty  days 
and  six  months  of  twenty-nine  days. 

If  we  turn  to  Daniel,  12:1 1,  we  will  find  the  prophecy  to  which 
Jesus  referred  when  He  gave  us  the  signs  of  the  end  of  the  days,  at 
which  time  His  sceptre,  as  the  Judean  lawgiver,  would  depart;  and  One 
would  appear  Whose  Sceptre,  adorned  with  the  Jewels  of  Love,  Peace 
and  Concord,  would  dominate  the  world. 

In  this  nth  verse  of  12th  chap,  of  Daniel  it  speaks  of  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  daily  sacrifice  and  the  appearance  of  the  abomination  of 
desolation. 

In  70  A.  D.  Titus  conquered  Jerusalem,  but  at  that  time  the  daily 
sacrifice  was  not  really  destroyed,  for  although  it  was  not  celebrated  in 
Jerusalem,  yet  the  Jews  continued  to  celebrate  it  secretly  throughout 
all  Syria,  and  this  was  never  annulled  until  Mohammedanism  invaded 
Jerusalem,  and  banished  the  Jews  from  all  Syria. 

28 


The  appearance  of  Mohammed  was  the  symbolic  fulfilment  of 
this  prophecy.  In  these  1290  days  we  have  1290  lunar  years.  That 
lunar  time  underlies  all  Biblical  calculation  is  a fact  so  widely  recog- 
nized as  to  require  no  proof.  Ezekiel  tells  us  that  the  days  are  ap- 
pointed us  for  years.  (Ezek.  4:6.) 

If  we  take  these  1290  lunar  years  and  multiply  by  354  (the  num- 
ber of  the  days  of  the  lunar  year)  we  reduce  them  to  lunar  days;  and 
then  if  we  take  365  (the  number  of  the  days  of  the  solar  year)  and 
divide  this  into  the  lunar  days  we  will  thus  reduce  them  to  solar 
years.  (But  the  more  rapid,  and  entirely  accurate,  method  is  to  take 
three  years  from  every  hundred,  and  the  years  proportionally  from 
the  fraction  of  a hundred.) 

Add  this  result  to  622  A.  D.,  when  Anno  Hegira  or  lunar  time 
was  established,  and  we  have  1873.  Now  Mohammed  declared  him- 
self ten  years  (solar  time)  prior  to  this,  and  if  we  subtract  ten  years 
from  1873  we  find  1863. 

This  is  the  year  in  which  the  Deliverer  of  the  earth  declared  Him- 
self to  all  its  peoples,  the  beginning  of  that  year  at  Bagdad,  and  the 
latter  part  of  the  same  year  at  Adrianople. 

The  Bab’s  declaration  took  place  in  1260  Anno  Hegira.  He  ful- 
filled Mohammedan  prophecy  when  He  declared  Himself  at  that  time. 

The  Mohammedans  in  Persia,  India,  Algeria,  Syria,  all  dreaded 
this  year  as  boding  no  good  to  them.  It  was  a common  remark  in 
Egypt  that  with  that  year  “The  spirit  of  the  Arab  was  gone.” 

Let  us  examine  the  times  appointed  by  Jesus  Christ  in  the  12th 
chapter  of  Revelation : 

“And- there  appeared  a great  wonder  in  heaven,  a woman  clothed 
with  the  sun  (the  emblem  of  Persia),  and  the  moon  (the  emblem  of 
Turkey)  under  her  feet.” 

This  is  the  symbol  of  the  Mohammedan  religion.  “Upon  her 
head  is  a crown  of  twelve  stars.”  These  are  the  twelve  Imams  who 
succeeded  Mohammed.  Many  Caliphs  succeeded  him,  but  only  an 
occasional  one  was  an  Imam  (or  spiritual  teacher).  Mohammed’s 
nephew,  Ali,  married  the  prophet’s  daughter,  Fatima,  and  thus  per- 
petuated the  line. 

After  the  departure  of  the  Twelfth  Imam,  which  Arab  theo- 
logians state  was  in  260  A.  H.,  a thousand  years  were  to  elapse  and 
then  the  Great  Imam  Mahdi  would  appear,  the  Mohammedan  Dis- 
pensation would  fall,  and  God  would  reign  on  the  earth.  Thrice  the 
Trumpet  would  sound.  The  first  Trumpet  was  exactly  fulfilled  in 
Anno  Hegira  1260,  when  the  Bab  arose  and  declared  His  wondrous 
message  as  the  Forerunner  and  herald  of  One  Greater  than  he. 

The  child  in  Rev.,  12th  chap.,  which  was  born  of  the  woman, was 
Mohammed.  The  wilderness  to  which  the  woman  flees  in  the  6th 
and  14th  verses  is  the  Spiritual  Wilderness  of  Arabia,  and  all  the 
world,  if  at  all  familiar  with  Oriental  history,  knows  of  the  marvelous 
rise  of  the  Mohammedan  Dispensation,  and  how  for  hundreds  of 
years  thereafter,  in  science,  arts  and  literature,  Arabia  led  the  Orient. 
And  Ishmael’s  “twelve  princes”  became  entirely  fulfilled  in  the 
Twelve  Imams. 

God  prepared  for  that  religion  a place  where  it  should  be  nour- 
ished a thousand  two  hundred  and  three  score  days;  i.  e.,  1260  years. 
This  is  lunar  time.  Reduce  it  to  solar  time,  as  in  the  1290  years.  The 

29 


result  is  1222  years.  The  Bab  declared  himself  1260  years,  lunar 
time  (Anno  Hegira)  and  Anno  Hegira  began  622  A.  D.  solar  time. 
Add  the  622  solar  years  to  1222  solar  years,  and  the  result  is  1844 
solar  years.  This  was  the  year,  in  our  solar  time,  in  which  the  Bab 
declared  Himself  to  the  world. 

Thus  is  fulfilled  the  appointed  date  in  the  6th  verse  of  the  12th 
chap.  Revelation. 

In  the  14th  verse  of  the  same  chapter  another  date  is  set.  “Time,” 
Biblically,  signifies  360  days  (years),  two  times  720  days,  a half  a time 
180  days.  Add  these  all  together  and  you  have  again  1260,  and  this 
“time”  is  the  same  as  the  “time,  times  and  a half”  appointed  in  Daniel, 
12:7. 

This  360  days  is  also  lunar.  Out  of  a more  complicated  system 
of  computing  time,  Meton  of  Athens,  who  lived  about  four  hundred 
years  before  Christ,  evolved  this  clear  method. 

The  following  is  the  process  by  which  it  is  reached.  Every  nine- 
teen years  the  moon  completes  a cycle,  its  new  moon  falling  on  the 
date  of  the  new  moon  nineteen  years  previously.  It  lacks  but  the 
very  slightest  fraction  of  the  complete  cycle  of  nineteen  years.  The 
square  of  nineteen  is  361.  As  there  is  this  slight  fraction,  the  one 
year  is  dropped,  making  a cycle  of  360  years.  This  cycle  is  the  root 
and  basis  of  all  time  reckoning,  and  underlies  all  Biblical  and  astro- 
nomical calculation.  It  is  called  the  “Golden  Cycle”  of  the  ancients. 

Also  Rev.,  1 1 :2.  Br  ing  these  months  to  lunar  years,  we  have  the 
1260  lunar  years,  and  in  verse  3rd  again  1260  lunar  years.  These  pro- 
phecies refer  to  the  Mohammedan  Dispensation,  and  the  two  witnesses 
were  Mohammed  and  Ali,  for  no  other  witnesses  arose  between  the 
Advent  of  Jesus  Christ  and  the  present  time. 

In  the  book  of  Daniel  we  find  another  date  recorded.  Daniel  was 
a state  officer  in  the  courts  of  three  successive  Babylonish  kings.  In 
the  reign  of  Belshazzar,  the  time  when  the  sanctuary  shall  be  cleansed 
of  the  transgression,  is  given  in  a vision  to  Daniel,  as  found  in  8th 
chap.,  verses  13  and  14.  Twenty-three  hundred  Biblical  years  are 
here  stated.  In  round  numbers,  from  this  period  in  Daniel’s  life  to 
the  birth  of  Jesus  Christ  there  were  five  hundred  years,  and  from  Jesus 
Christ’s  appearance  until  the  beginning  of  last  century,  when  “The  Son 
was  born,”  there  were  eighteen  hundred  years,  making  a total  of 
twenty-three  hundred  years.  There  are  also  various  methods  which 
various  Bible  students  give  by  which  one  arrives  at  the  exact  date 
of  1844  A.  D.  One  of  these  Biblical  students,  well  known  to  the  re- 
ligious world  and  entirely  uninformed  of  these  Great  Days  at  the 
time  of  his  writing,  places  himself  on  record  in  a work  of  his  own, 
and  which  exhaustively  teems  with  corroboration  of  the  Holy  Import 
of  the  Revelation  of  Bahii’-Ullah,  by  saying  that  “the  Bible  with  un- 
wearying persistency  returns  to  the  date  of  1844.” 

The  year  1844  is  one  which  shall  ever  make  glad  the  hearts  of 
the  people  of  God ; for  in  that  year  the  Bab,  in  the  splendor  of  his 
great  mitsion,  declared  Himself,  as  a Messenger;  and  declared  that 
the  One  of  Whom  he  was  but  the  herald,  was  upon  the  earth,  and 
would  in  time  manifest  Himself  to  His  flock ; and  at  the  time  of  that 
Annunciation,  the  third  of  this  Great  Trinity,  was  born,  Abdul-Bahii’, 
our  Master,  who  dwells  in  the  City  of  Light,  by  the  “blue  and  tideless 


30 


sea.”  Well  may  the  hearts  of  all  the  universe,  seen  and  unseen,  re- 
joice and  sing  together,  and  celebrate  this  blessed  year,  about  which 
all  prophecy  has  revolved.  Moses  prophesied  that  three  religions  and 
four  Manifestations  of  God  must  transpire  before  the  Day  of  God. 
We  find  this  in  Deuteronomy,  33:2:  “And  he  said,  The  Lord  came 

from  Sinai,  and  rose  up  from  Seir  unto  them;  he  shined  forth  from 
Mount  Paran,  and  he  came  with  ten  thousands  of  saints;  from  his  right 
hand  went  a fiery  law  for  them.”  Reference  to  Gen.,  27:41,  will  divest 
the  mind  of  any  confusion  in  connecting  Esau  with  this  prophesy 
concerning  Seir. 

Sinai  refers  to  Moses  and  the  Mosaic  Dispensation  ; Seir  to  Jesus 
Christ  and  the  Christian  Dispensation ; Mount  Paran  to  Mohammed 
and  the  Mohammedan  Dispensation ; and  the  Fourth  is  the  Appear- 
ance of  Baha’-Ullah. 

Isaiah  said  that  in  this  Day  He  should  be  called  God.  (25:9;  also 

9:6). 

Two  rules  by  which  we  are  to  be  guided  in  knowing  what  proph- 
ecies belong  to  the  Dispensation  of  Jesus,  the  Son,  and  what  prophecies 
belong  to  the  final  Day  of  God,  the  Father,  are  as  follows:  Those 

which  predict  the  degradation  of  the  Jews  belong  to  the  Day  of  Jesus 
Christ  and  of  Mohammed,  and  those  which  predict  the  period  of 
their  restoration  belong  to  Baha’-Ullah. 

The  Lord  of  Hosts  is  His  Name. 

Out  of  hundreds  of  proofs  we  select  a few  which  give  the  Master, 
Abdul-Baha’,  to  us  as  “He  who  is  to  rebuild  Jerusalem.” 

In  Daniel,  7th  chap.,  beginning  with  the  9th  verse  to  the  14th 
inclusive,  we  find  the  following:  “I  beheld  till  the  thrones  were  cast 
down,  and  the  Ancient  of  days  did  sit,  whose  garment  was  white  as 
snow,  and  the  hair  of  his  head  like  the  pure  wool,  his  throne  was  like 
the  fiery  flame  and  his  wheels  as  burning  fire.  A fiery  stream  issued 
and  came  forth  from  before  him ; thousand  thousands  ministered  unto 
him,  and  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  stood  before  him ; the  judg- 
ment was  set,  and  the  books  were  opened. 

“I  beheld  then  because  of  the  voice  of  the  great  words  which  the 
horn  spake : I beheld  even  till  the  beast  was  slain,  and  his  body  de- 
stroyed and  given  to  the  burning  flame. 

“As  concerning  the  rest  of  the  beasts,  they  had  their  dominion 
taken  away;  yet  their  lives  were  prolonged  for  a season  and  time. 

“I  saw  in  the  night  visions,  and,  behold,  one  like  the  Son  of  Man 
came  with  the  clouds  of  heaven,  and  came  to  the  Ancient  of  days, 
and  they  brought  him  near  before  him. 

“And  there  was  given  him  dominion,  and  glory,  and  a kingdom, 
that  all  people,  nations,  and  languages,  should  serve  him ; his  do- 
minion is  an  everlasting  dominion,  which  shall  not  pass  away,  and 
his  kingdom  that  which  shall  not  be  destroyed.” 

This  is  the  Vision  of  the  Book  of  the  Ages  “which  is  unsealed.” 
And  the  Son  receives  from  the  Father  an  everlasting  kingdom  and 
dominion. 

In  Micah,  5th  chap.,  first  four  verses,  the  two  appearances  of 
Christ  are  recorded:  He,  the  Word  which  hath  gone  forth  in  Mani- 
festations throughout  the  aeons  of  existence  is,  one  day,  to  be  ruler  in 
Israel.  But  He  gives  up  the  Israelites  until  she  which  travaileth  hath 
brought  forth.  After  this  the  scattered  Israelites  shall  return,  and  He 


31 


shall  stand  and  feed  the  flocks  of  God  in  the  strength  of  the  Lord,  in 
the  majesty  of  the  Name  of  the  Lord  His  God.  “And  they  shall  abide; 
for  now  shall  he  be  great  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth.  And  this  man 
shall  be  the  peace.”  Now  read  carefully  Isa.  chap,  nth,  first  twelve 
verses;  Isa.  chap.  22nd,  from  20th  verse  to  end;  Isa.  chap.  30th  and 
26th  verse;  Zech.  chap.  6th,  from  12th  verse  to  end.  Hebrews,  4:8; 
St.  John,  16:23. 

The  Branch  so  often  spoken  of  by  the  Israelitish  prophets  has 
indeed  branched  from  the  Tree  of  Life.  The  Father  has  come,  with 
the  Son.  This  is  the  return  of  the  Lion  of  the  Tribe  of  Judah.  This 
is  the  return  of  the  Lamb  that  once  was  slain.  By  once  suffering 
death  by  martyrdom,  now  He  returns  on  the  throne,  at  the  right  hand  of 
the  Father;  and  He  is  the  “Sign  of  the  End.”  The  Glory  of  God  and 
the  glory  of  the  Lamb,  we  are  told  in  Rev.,  21st  chapter,  are  to  lighten 
this  heavenly  City  (the  spiritual  flock  of  Baha’-Ullah).  We  find  in  this 
same  chapter  that  God  Himself  is  to  be  with  us  and  to  dwell  among 
us.  It  is  said  that  every  Revelation  doubles  in  progressiveness.  In 
this  day  the  veil  is  to  be  removed  from  the  entire  earth.  Love,  Peace, 
Faith  and  Deeds,  and  Knowledge  of  our  God  will  be  the  foundation 
stones  of  the  Kingdom  of  Shiloh. 

The  reasons  for  this  Revelation  are  as  follows:  Until  to-day  the 

sacred  books  of  all  religions  have  been  sealed.  To-day  their  seals  are 
broken.  Therefore  it  is  the  cycle  for  teaching,  and  for  bringing  every 
religion  into  a knowledge  of  and  concord  with  all  others. 

“In  this  Day  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  world  will  be  gathered  into 
one  nation;  universal  peace  will  prevail;  bloodshed  and  war  will 
cease;  there  will  be  a general  language;  union  and  harmony  will 
reach  the  highest  conditions;  all  will  be  gathered  under  the  tent  of 
Peace.” 

Baha’-Ullah  is  “the  Trainer  of  the  whole  Universe;  His  teachings 
are  the  Cause  of  the  life  of  the  worlds,  the  unity  and  harmony  of  the 
creatures,  the  agreement  of  the  people,  and  the  Universal  Peace.” 

To-day  we  stand  in  the  presence  of  this  Great  Revelation;  and  to 
decide  as  to  “Whether  we  will  have  this  Christ  or  not.” 

Man’s  mere  assertion  that  he  believes  in  God  will  not  save  him, 
for  the  devils  also  believe  and  tremble.  Such  believers  are  as  wells 
without  water.  When  the  Spirit  of  the  Infinite  manifests  in-the 
Temple  of  Man,  to  resist  that  Word,  to  deny  it,  to  persecute  it,  is  as 
death  to  the  one  who  attempts  these  things.  In  the  2nd  Epistle  of  St. 
John  we  are  told  that  at  the  beginning  of  the  Christian  Dispensation, 
“Many  there  are  in  the  world  who  confess  not  that  Jesus  Christ  is 
come  in  the  flesh.  This  is  a deceiver  and  an  anti-Christ.” 

As  it  was  then,  so  it  will  be  now. 

Nineteen  hundred  years  ago  many  things  were  blasphemously 
spoken  against  God’s  Messenger  and  Son. 

Thus  it  will  be  in  the  present  time. 

In  that  Day  when  Jesus  stood  before  the  tribunal  of  Pilate,  in  the 
presence  of  His  accusers,  the  chains  of  a common  felon  bound  Him; 
yet  He  was  the  Son  of  God.  Sacred  history  always  repeats  itself. 
And  the  Greater  the  Light,  the  greater  will  be  made  visible  the  dark- 
ness; the  Greater  the  Truth,  the  greater  the  falsehood  of  the  Opposer. 

The  more  perfect  the  Way  unto  God,  the  more  terrible  the  doom 
of  the  one  for  whom  the  Way  has  been  opened,  but  who  walketh  not 
therein,  and  who  "is  of  those  who  are  afar.” 

But  unto  those  who  believe — “He  is  Precious.” 

ffm,  Joh  niton  Printing  Co 
Chicago. 


